Let's Grow Up Together
by yabookreader96
Summary: When one day Jackie receives a certain letter in the mail, she finds her life quickly beginning to change. Suddenly she is a grown up navigating life on her own, drifting away from the sleepy little town of Point Place...and from her friends who can't seem to find the courage to discover life outside the Forman basement. Will her friends catch up, or will Jackie be all on her own?
1. Preface (Surprise, Surprise)

Author's Note (1): Hi everyone! So this note is pretty long, but I ask you to read it all because it's critical for understanding this story. This story has taken me over three years to write, and I am really proud of it. It is the story I've always wanted to write, and now I get to share it with all of you. This is also the last story I have planned to write (besides from ZMA). That's not to say I will never write another story again, but at the moment no ideas have struck me. So I really hope that if you find yourself here that you will truly enjoy this story.

Author's Note (2): This story is how I would like to imagine the storylines ended for all the characters. No, it is NOT 'just another S8 AU'. I've never even watched season 8. Instead, it reflects on some of the events during season 7. But I promise you that its different and fresh, so please give it a shot. After all, if I had read a fanfic that satisfied my headcanon for the show, I wouldn't have needed to write this one! Also, despite that this is a JackiexHyde centric story, each of the main characters get their own plots and resolutions too! Since it correlates with season 7, I thought I'd do something interesting and arrange each chapter's posting date with the date the corresponding episode aired on TV. So, the preface is based on the episode "Surprise, Surprise" which aired on December 1st, 2004, which is why I am posting it today! At the end of each chapter I will make a note of the date that the next chapter will be posted.

* * *

Preface (Surprise, Surprise)

~JACKIE BURKHART~

Two weeks and three days, but I wasn't counting…I swear. I just had a good memory, as far as time went. But anyways, as I was saying: two weeks and three days since my mom left to God-knows-where to drink tequila and margaritas until day and night blurred together to simply just become passing time.

My mother always said that was the only thing she could remember about being drunk; the sensation of time passing, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, yet always unaware of how much of it had actually gone by.

But I could tell her exactly how much. Two weeks and three days.

o-o-o

I took two steps into the foyer before the echo of my heels on the marble floor became too much to handle. The distant sound kept ringing in my ears, the unwelcome reminder that I was the only flesh and blood that walked through this flashy, not-so-humble abode.

Before taking another step, I slip off my shoes then drop them at the base of the stairs before heading for the kitchen. I switch on the light and sit down at the table and start sorting through the pile of mail I grabbed on my way up the drive.

Bill. Bill. Advertisement. Bill. I set the bills to one side of the table as I continue through the pile. It was a good thing I had figured out my father's office, down to every last piece of paper. Last time around, when my dad was first sent to prison, it was Steven who helped me figure things out, helping me with the bits and pieces of information he had picked up from when he was in the same boat a few years back. Now I didn't even cringe at the idea of figuring out these bills that were supposed to have been my mother's responsibility after my dad was incarcerated.

Thinking about Steven immediately brightened my spirits, my mind immediately flashing back to this afternoon filled with stomach clenching laughter after we took my failed-cookies-turned-Frisbees and flung them at Eric and Fez for taunting Steven about his sister and Michael.

"That," he had said, pointing at the door Eric and Fez had ran through to escape our wrath, "was the best part of my day. Thank you." He had pulled me close.

"Well, Frisbees weren't the desired effect, but I'm glad it helped," I had giggled, meeting his lips halfway.

The smile on my face now, caused by this fresh memory, wavers slightly as my eyes focus on the letter at the bottom of the pile. Addressed to me.

My hands quaver as I tear open the envelope. I take one shallow breath before unfolding the letter.

 _Dear Jacqueline Burkhart,  
Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Marquette University's undergraduate…_

The rest of the words blur together, but I force my eyes to refocus and finish the letter. With each word, my stomach clenches tighter and tighter; a mix of eager anticipation that makes my heart flutter in my chest.

But with it all is a sliver of fear. Fear and worry that suddenly, a whole lot was about to change.

* * *

Chapter 1 is based on the episode, "Winter", and will be posted on the day this episode aired: **December 15th**.


	2. Winter

Author's Note (1): Disclaimer - I do not own That '70s Show. All rights belong to the Carsey-Werner Company, LLC.

Author's Note (2): There will be footnotes starting in this chapter.

* * *

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"Thanks for helping me with my Christmas party girls." Mrs. Forman arranges her frosted cookies on a festive dish. "You know this is _the_ most important event of the year for the Ladies of Point Place, or as we like to call ourselves, the LOPPs!" she exclaims as her signature laugh escapes from her throat.

Donna and I, who were frosting the Christmas tree shaped cookies Mrs. Forman had spent all afternoon baking, just smile at Mrs. Forman before returning to our work. Normally, I hated doing anything that involved cooking or baking – it was too messy for my refined tastes – and I basically was terrible at it, but frosting cookies was simple and not too dirty.

Plus, it was for the LOPPs' Christmas party. The LOPPs was the club of women who basically ran this whole town, as far as I was concerned. When I was a little kid, and my mother was a LOPP, I remember watching them drink wine and plan events that kept this tiny, irrelevant town in the newspaper. The Christmas party brought people from as far as Milwaukee and even Madison.

And this year, I was getting to participate. Next year I would be eighteen and could actually be inducted into the group, but Mrs. Forman had been able to pull a few strings to get me and Donna involved this year. And although Donna wasn't exactly thrilled, she offered to help out anyway.

"You know the LOPPs are known for being super stuck up and totally two-faced," I tell Donna now as I reach for another cookie to frost. "I can't wait until I get in," I add, causing Donna to smile.

"Hey, Mrs. Forman." Steven shows up from the basement and walks over to his stand-in mother. "I need like, a butt-load of batteries."

Donna and I look at him, and I can tell she is just as suspicious as I am about what the guys were doing in the basement.

"What for?" Mrs. Forman sounds a bit doubtful herself.

"Oh, um…Kelso wants to see how badly he can shock himself," he explains.

I exchange a look with Donna, neither of us surprised any longer. Apparently, neither is Mrs. Forman, because she tells him where the batteries are without further comment.

"Oh, hey Steven. Don't forget about the Ladies of Point Place party tonight." I remind him as he reaches into a drawer to retrieve the batteries.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot," he starts.

"Steven," I groan. "You said you'd be there."

"Relax, Jackie. I said I'd be there, so I'll be there," he walks over and quickly plants a kiss on my forehead before heading back down to the basement with the batteries. (1)

As soon as he's gone, one of the LOPPs walks through the kitchen door. I recognize her, but am not sure what her name is.

"Patty Ryals, I didn't know you were back in town," Kitty exclaims to her fellow LOPP.

As the two of them start to discuss the party, Donna turns her focus back to me.

"You know, Eric probably forgot about the party too," she says nervously. "Maybe we should go remind them again."

"Agreed," I nod. "Right after we finish frosting these cookies though. I want to make a good impression tonight," I explain.

"You dredged up my Chappaquiddick?" I hear Mrs. Forman suddenly growl at Patty.

Uh-oh. That didn't sound good.

"Wait, what did Mrs. Forman do?" I ask Donna. I couldn't remember.

"She spiked the wrong punch bowl," Donna explains to me. Then she pauses for a moment. "I missed the sixth grade Christmas play because I couldn't walk a straight line," she admits.

"Exactly my point." Patty walks over to Donna and rests a hand on her shoulder. Donna glares at her hand until she removes it. "That's why I'm taking over. Kitty, you can be in charge of the gifts. I doubt even _you_ can mess that up," she says with a flourish before disappearing out the door.

"God, what a bitch," Donna mutters when she's out of earshot. "Are you okay, Mrs. Forman?"

"I never liked that Patty Ryals. She's always been so…"

"Super stuck up and totally two-faced?" I offer. Mrs. Forman nods.

"Okay, Jackie. That was the last cookie. Let's go get our boyfriends." Donna rises from her seat, and I follow her to the basement.

The first thing we hear as we make our way down the stairs is the guys all cheering. But it's when we make it to the landing that Donna and I really are taken aback. There are piles of wrapping paper and toys everywhere, and I have to step over a spilled box of Legos to get to Steven.

"What's going on?" Donna asks.

"Eric flew a Funyun into my mouth," Michael says, excited as a little kid.

Donna tries not to laugh, as she turns to Eric, but can't help it. "Come on guys, we have to leave for the party in an hour."

"You know, Donna, I don't see why we have to go," Eric argues. "You don't even want to be a LOPP."

"Yeah, but we're going to support your mom," Donna tells him.

"And me," I point out. "I actually do want to be a LOPP."

"We'll be ready in an hour, okay?" Steven rests him arm against my back.

"Hyde!" Eric pouts.

"Hey, man. If I'm going, you're going."

After making sure the guys would be ready, Donna and I head back upstairs to finish preparing the food. Mrs. Forman is no longer in the kitchen, but Donna and I find ways to keep ourselves busy anyway.

"You know, Jackie. Why _do_ you want to become a LOPP?" Donna asks as we work on covering all the food trays.

I shrug, trying to evade the question. Because the truth was…it had a lot to do with the letter I got in the mail a week ago. I hadn't told anyone about it yet, nor how my mom had been gone three weeks now. The truth was, it was time for me to grow up, and joining the LOPPs felt like a necessary part of that.

I wasn't ready to tell Donna any of that yet, so I just left it with that simple shrug. Thankfully, she let it go.

o-o-o

Behind Point Place Town Hall was a gymnasium-sized party room where most of the LOPP events were held every year, including the Christmas party. The room was convenient not only for its sheer size, but for its location adjacent to a local bakery with a huge kitchen. For these parties, the owners were usually kind enough to let the LOPPs use their kitchen to provide warm food to their guests.

Yep – I'd done my research.

"Jackie Burkhart, welcome to the LOPPs' Christmas party." Patty Ryals, the LOPP from earlier this afternoon who was put in charge in place of Mrs. Forman, greets me as our group of four enters the party room. "Is this your boyfriend?"

"Yes, this is." I return her peppy attitude as I weave my arm through Steven's. "Steven Hyde."

"Nice to meet you." Patty smiles at Steven but doesn't offer her hand. "I'll seat you two at the same table as the Formans."

"Great!" I steer Steven in the direction of the indicated table. "Steven, thank you so much for coming. If you hadn't, she probably would have sat me with the SLOPPs." I shiver.

"SLOPPs?" Steven wrinkles his nose.

"Single Ladies of Point Place," I sneer. "Rumor has it, once you become a SLOPP, there's no way out," I lean in and whisper.

Steven raises an eyebrow, not impressed. "God forbid," he mutters. Then he narrows his eyes, deep in thought. "Speaking of SLOPPs, isn't your mother one of them? Where is she?" Steven looks around the room.

I stare down at the dark wooden table and trace my finger along the grain. "Well, um…she's…" I shift my gaze back up to Steven's. He's looking at me with such openness and genuine care that I realize maybe I should tell him about my mom now. "Actually, my mom is – "

"You guys, bad news." I'm interrupted by Donna as she and Eric, who had joined Mrs. Forman near the stage upon our arrival, sit down at the table across from us. "The gifts for the kids are _missing_." She emphasizes the last word then looks at Eric who looks suddenly haggard.

I glance back and forth between them. How could the toys be missing? And why was Donna glaring at Eric? It was almost like she thought he –

It clicked.

"Oh my God, you guys stole from the Toy Drive?" I say incredulously, trying not to raise my voice lest I draw any attention over here.

That's what all those toys and wrapping paper had been doing down in the basement this afternoon. I hadn't thought twice about it then, but I guess I should have known better.

"Steven! How could you guys be so immature?" I turn on my boyfriend, feeling my cheeks flush with rage.

"You guys better go get those toys," Donna says firmly. "Before the kids find out or Mrs. Forman gets in trouble."

Steven, who now looks as white as Eric, is up in a flash, heading out the door with Eric on his heels.

Donna looks at me, shaking her head. I give off a heavy sigh before dropping my head on the table. All thoughts of telling Steven about my mom and maybe even Marquette were lost as the party was silently thrown into an invisible chaos.

After coaxing me back up, Donna and I inform Mrs. Forman that we sent Steven and Eric to search for the toys for the kids, which wasn't exactly the truth, but was close enough. In the meantime, we would help her stall. Kitty told Patty that, in an effort to build anticipation, she was hiding the gifts until the end of the party.

It all went pretty smoothly. For about an hour at least. The kids were satiated; too busy to think about gifts between sitting on Santa's lap and eating the cookies that would surely give them a sugar high. When they had tired themselves of these activities, Mr. Forman pulled a Korean War novel from his car and manipulated it into a Christmas story – how exactly, I wasn't sure.

The problems didn't start until Patty decided she had enough of this 'anticipation building' by Mrs. Forman and called for the curtain to be pulled so the kids could go get their gifts.

"No, no. Wait. Wait," Mrs. Forman calls anxiously as the curtain begins pulling back. Donna and I rush forward. "Boys and girls, I'm sorry. I just, you know, I think Santa hasn't quite finished his…" she fades off as she turns to the stage.

Sitting there, under a giant tree sat all the gifts, boxed and wrapped.

And Michael.

"Oh my God," I mutter under my breath.

" _Christmas…Christmas_ ," Kelso sings, unsure of what to do with himself. Then, in a flash, he disappears off the stage.

"Oh my God," Donna says this time.

There's what seems to be a long, pregnant pause which really was probably only half a second long. Then the kids start rushing to the stage.

Mrs. Forman jumps up and down. "Okay kids, go get 'em!" She goes with it.

"Who was in charge of giving out the toys here?" comes a voice.

We all turn. It was another LOPP. But unlike when Patty arrived at the Formans' earlier, I knew exactly who this LOPP was. Gayle Thomas, the president of the Ladies of Point Place.

"It was Kitty." Patty points, her words dripping with derision. "I think she's been drinking."

I hold my breath. Beside me, I notice Donna tense.

"Well, it was prefect," announces Gayle. I start to breathe again. Donna relaxes. "The LOPPs would like you to run our Valentine's party!" she tells Mrs. Forman.

Donna and I high-five as Mrs. Forman begins to smile ecstatically.

"I'm in charge?" Mrs. Forman laughs. "This…this is the same as, as Lyndon Johnson being sworn in on the airplane after President Kennedy was – " Mrs. Forman stops suddenly, realizing where this was going. "Well, that was a tragedy, but…I'm in charge!"

"You hear that Patty Ryals?" Donna steps forward as Gayle leaves. "She's in charge. So _you_ will be taking orders from _her_ ," she says smugly, then Patty runs off after Gayle. "So put that in your face lift and smoke it." She high-fives Mrs. Forman.

"Oh, congratulations Mrs. Forman!" I exclaim.

"Well, thank you girls. I couldn't have done it without your help." She nods.

"Kitty…a little help?" we hear a strained call from the stage. Underneath a pile of kids reaching up at him stands Mr. Forman, trying – and failing – to pass out the gifts.

"Oh dear." Mrs. Forman joins her husband on stage.

"Wow, that was a close call." Donna remarks.

I nod my head. "Yeah, now just to find our idiot boyfriends." I can't help but sound bitter.

Just then, Donna glances behind me. She purses her lips. "Well, I found yours." She points.

I turn in the direction of her finger to see Steven and Fez enter. Steven immediately starts walking over to us. Then, with a parting glance, Donna goes to join Fez, probably sensing that this wasn't going to be good.

She was right. It wasn't. Suddenly, with the gift problem in the past, I could actually focus on what Steven had done. I thought he had been starting to grow up by coming to this party with me. But that was all crushed when I realized he had stolen those toys. He'd had a whole year head start in becoming an adult, and yet I was already ahead of him in this game.

"Hey, Jackie. We got the toys," Steven says once he reaches me.

"I see that," I say coldly, crossing my arms.

"Jackie. Are you mad?" he asks, only just now catching up. "Come on man, this is not a big deal. I mean, six months ago you would have thought this was really funny."

"Yeah. Six months ago," I repeat. He had hit the nail on the head, so how could he not realize the problem? "Steven, you can't act like this forever. You're eighteen years old. You need to learn some responsibility."

"Jackie…" he says my name, sounding exhausted.

"I mean, we're practically grown up." I could feel the tears sting my eyes and I did what I could to stay strong and not let any slip out.

"Yeah, and you know what? I'm just trying to have a little fun before I settle down and life goes to crap." He throws his hands in the air.

I actually have to take a step back, his words hurt so much. They stung, as though he had slapped me. It was, in fact, a verbal slap, whether he meant it or not.

"Is that what you think?" I lower my voice, losing the fight within me, about ready to just give up. "That life with me will be crap?"

"That's not what I said," he starts. "No, no Jackie," he adds anxiously when he sees me backing away. "No, look. You are the only thing about the future that I look forward to. Come on, Jackie." His voice is soft now.

"No. Save it, Steven." And this time the tears slip out, so I force myself to turn around. I force myself to turn around and leave him. (2)

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I start to follow Jackie, but immediately I feel my weight get pulled back by a hand on my shoulder. Behind me stands Donna, a pitying look on her face.

"Just give her some space," she says quietly. I glance off in the direction that Jackie left in, unsure of Donna's advice. As if sensing my doubt, she adds, "Trust me."

I sit down at one of the tables, suddenly exhausted. Jackie had to be overreacting. It was just some toys for the LOPPs' party. Why did she want to be a part of them so badly anyway? After all, it was Kelso who stole the toys. Forman and I were the ones to bring them back.

But… a part of me knew she was right. Knew that we should have made Kelso bring back that box of toys right away. Knew that what we had done was something expected of a thirteen year old kid, not an eighteen year old man. I may not have understood Jackie's sudden fixation on growing up, but I knew this much. Having one last blow out was one thing, but not at the expense of those kids.

"Donna, man. I think we messed up," I admit.

"Yeah, you guys are complete dumbasses." She doesn't sugar-coat it. Then she sits down next to me in a chair and sighs. "I'll try talking to her, okay?" I don't respond. After a moment she stands up again and looks around. "Where's Eric?" she asks suspiciously.

"We sent him in through the chimney," I say vaguely, too exhausted to provide an explanation. Without another word, Donna takes off to find her boyfriend, shaking her head remorsefully.

I don't leave right away. I stay where I am and watch the kids open their gifts. I watch until my knuckles turn white and my muscles grow tense. I watch until I grow as sick with myself, sicker, then Jackie had been. Only then do I leave.

o-o-o

As soon as I hear Fez and Kelso amble into the basement later that night, I grab my stash and join them, badly needing a Circle, regardless of whether or not there were four of us.

"Hey, Hyde. Did you and Jackie fix things up?" Kelso asks.

"I don't know, man. If she wants to ruin Christmas that's fine by me." I feel guilty as soon as the words leave my mouth.

Jackie hadn't ruined Christmas. Us four guys had by stealing those toys from the children.

The door to the basement opens now and I immediately feel my stomach clench, but its only Forman and Donna. Forman is covered in soot, and looks far from thrilled.

"Look what I found in the bakery, curled up in the fireplace!" Donna says with false cheer and enthusiasm.

"What the hell?" Forman cries, not having any of Donna's easygoing attitude. "You guys just left me there. If I hadn't landed on, well, some of the most delicious baked goods that I ever tasted," he gets side-tracked before focusing again, "I very well could've starved to death."

I chuckle, feeling far from sorry for him.

"Hyde. Has Jackie talked to you yet?" Donna asks me, taking a seat in the lawn chair.

"No," is all I can manage.

She must hear what I'm not saying because she nods her head. "I'll call her later okay? Just…keep giving her space."

"Well, if I can't do anything, then I'm going to need the Circle. Right now." I pull out my bag.

We arrange ourselves as I light up. But by the time the smoke starts to clear… things start getting really freaky.

"This is one messed up Christmas, man. You guys are all starting to look like elves," I say, my breath turning shallow.

Kelso starts to smile wickedly, then rips off his elf ears and hat. "That must've freaked you out." He laughs, flapping one of his fake elf ears. I feel my breathing return to normal.

"Its going to fall off…" Forman turns his head, mesmerized, as Donna twirls a gyro wheel in his face.

"Its okay," she whispers.

"Oh my God, it, it is gonna fall off," he squeaks.

"Its okay." Donna repeats, smiling.

"Okay." He sighs.

"Let me give you my recipe for holiday cheer," Fez starts his turn. "Take one SLOPP, add half a bottle of Schnapps, then stir freely with Fez." He smirks. "It is a wonderful life."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~DONNA PINCIOTTI~

There's a soft knock on my door before Jackie enters. Her cheeks are stained with tears and her eyes are bloodshot and tired. She's changed out of her party clothes and is now wearing jeans and a baggy t-shirt, her go to sad outfit that only I ever got to see her wear.

"How are you doing?" I ask her, putting down my book and sitting up on my bed.

"Thanks for letting me stay over." She evades the question. "You have no idea how grateful I am." She joins me on my bed.

"You know Hyde didn't mean to hurt you." I cut to the chase.

Jackie just shifts her eyes up to me, but says nothing. I search my brain for something more to say. "It was just a misunderstanding. I'm sure if they knew the toys were for the party, they wouldn't have stolen them. Plus, it was really Kelso who stole them. And Eric and Hyde got them back in time, so it was all okay in the end." I'm blabbering now.

"That's not the point, Donna." Jackie sighs and falls back on my bed. "The point is, they were irresponsible, and I need to know if the man I love is ever going to grow up."

"You know he will, Jackie. He's just not ready yet." I reassure her.

"That's not good enough, Donna. He needs to grow up now. I'm growing up right now, and I need him by my side in this."

Suddenly, I get the feeling we were talking about something else. I wasn't sure if I was relieved that there was a reason to Jackie's distress, or if I was worried that it would only make things worse.

"Jackie. What are you talking about?" I ask hesitantly.

"It's just…" Jackie lets out a long breath. Then in a flash, she is sitting up again. "After graduation, I'm leaving Point Place."

* * *

Footnotes:

1 – This is where things in this episode start to change. One of the biggest issues with this episode for me is Hyde just ditching Jackie for some kid toys, even though he already promised he'd go. I find that to be very unlike him. There will still be a conflict between them later on, but it will be what I think is more in character for them. Also, much of the dialogue in this chapter is taken straight from the episode, but you will find as the chapters continue, the story lines start to differ a bit more My goal is to keep it as close to canon as possible, but while still being in character.

2 – Like I said before, it bothers me how Hyde ditches Jackie for the toys, but I do think it would be in-character for him to make a stupid decision with his friends to steal the toys and then talk to Jackie like that. He's not perfect, and will make mistakes. But as I try to establish here, he does not mean to hurt Jackie's feelings and as you'll soon see, he quickly takes responsibility for what he did. But he has to learn from his mistakes; he's only human.

* * *

Chapter 2 is based on the episode "Don't Lie to Me" and will be posted on the day this episode aired: **January 5th**.


	3. Don't Lie to Me

~DONNA PINCIOTTI~

If you ever want to know if Jackie Burkhart is sad, all you have to do is hold a shopping bag in her face and see how she reacts. If she doesn't jump up and down excitedly or rip the bag out of your hands, then you know something is wrong.

That's how I know, the next morning, that Jackie was still down in the dumps. We are heading over to the Forman's and she doesn't even notice the large shopping bag that I am carrying.

When we enter the Forman kitchen, Jackie silently takes a seat on one of the bar stools. I watch her nervously before walking over to Eric who is standing by the stove cutting open a muffin.

"Well, I have one last wedding thing to return," I lift the bag onto the counter. "And once this is done, the only thing left I'll have to remind me we almost got married will be you," I poke his arm playfully.

"Aww," he smiles before leaning in to kiss me good morning.

"Well, I wish Eric had shown up for your wedding," Mrs. Forman pulls on her coat. "The sales lady said my Mother-of-the-Groom dress took five pounds off me," she nods her head. Then her smile fades as she glares at her son. "Five pounds!" she emphasizes, then heads out the door.

"Okay, what happened to my nice breakfast? I thought we were done with this whole wedding deal," Eric blushes and I rub his arm.

"Women are never done with it, son," we all focus our attention on Mr. Forman as he starts to follow his wife out the door. "Anything wrong you do, they sit on it for twenty-five years like an egg. And then it hatches on Super Bowl Sunday," he says, most likely speaking from experience.

When he is gone I pull the shoes out of the bag and lift the lid to admire them one last time. "Aw man, I can't believe I have to take these shoes back to Wanamaker Bridal."

They really were pretty shoes. It was a shame I had to return them. But…all jokes aside, it was a good thing Eric and I hadn't gotten married. One day…but not today. We weren't ready.

"Now I have to tell that snot, Stacy Wanamaker, that I didn't get married," I pick up one of the shoes and fiddle with it in my hands.

"Donna, what if I drop them off for you?" Jackie rises from her seat and walks over to me and Eric. "You know, during our um…errands today."

It's just her, me and Eric in the kitchen now, but Jackie still doesn't say our plans out loud. I guess she figured that Eric would tell Hyde. And if the truth be told, I myself was tempted to tell Hyde. This whole thing just didn't feel right.

This 'whole thing' was what Jackie had told me last night. After she stated that she was leaving Point Place after graduation, I had rightfully freaked out on her, surely thinking she had been overreacting about the whole party thing. But it was when she told me the rest that things started making sense.

"Donna, I haven't told anyone yet, but…my mom left again," she had wrung her hands together.

"What?" I had reached forward, immediately realizing why Jackie had acted the way she did.

"Three weeks ago, but Donna there's more," she turned away from me, climbing off the bed. She proceeded to pace around the room a bit and I feared to say anything in case I broke the spell. "I got into Marquette University," she said quietly.

"Jackie, that's amazing. It's one of the best private schools in Wisconsin, and…what's wrong?" I noticed she had started shaking her head and biting her nail.

"That's why I'm leaving," she plopped back on the bed next to me. "My mom is gone, and if I move, then I don't have to travel so far to school. Because I really, _really_ want to go to Marquette. When we went to visit for you and when I wasn't moping about Steven I was really impressed by the school. I could just see myself there. I still do," her face was alight as she thought about these prospects.

"So…where are you moving to?" I asked her, surprised to find myself growing sad over the possibility of losing her.

"Well, I've done a lot of research," she admitted, then crossed her legs getting comfortable. "And I figured out my best option. There are tons of new apartment complexes just outside of Point Place in Racine. If I move out there, that'll still leave me about twenty minutes from your house and the Forman's house, which is basically where my life is, but it will be closer to Milwaukee, cutting my drive to Marquette down to thirty minutes." (1)

And then, before I could say anything, Jackie hit me with a question. "Donna…do you want to be my roommate?" she offered.

I was shocked, the say the least. But to say I wasn't tempted would be a lie. I was so, so tempted. Suddenly the idea of growing up and living on my own seemed very pleasing. But Jackie had a way about her that made _everything_ seem appealing. Once I gave it more thought though, I knew I couldn't.

"Jackie, I can't say I'm not tempted, but…I don't think I can," I admitted.

"Okay," she nodded quickly but sadly. "Do you mind if I ask why?"

"Eric," I explained my reasoning to her. "If I move in with you, Eric may see an excuse to put off our future even further," I rolled my eyes. "And while we're not ready now, we will be someday."

"I get it," Jackie said after a moment. "Both you and Eric have loving, supporting families. I can see why you're not ready to give that up yet. And you shouldn't have to. If both my parents were at home, I probably wouldn't be so eager to leave either."

Her talk about families had given me an idea, though. "What about Hyde?" I asked her hesitantly. "What if you ask him?"

Jackie immediately shook her head and her face fell. "After tonight, I know he's not ready. And I couldn't ask him and then take that rejection."

I wasn't sure I agreed with Jackie. Maybe I didn't know Hyde like she did, but I didn't think she should discredit him before even asking. I didn't push it though, instead, before I knew what I was doing, I was offering to help Jackie look for apartments tomorrow.

I wasn't sure why I said it, but when she smiled widely and clasped her hands over her heart, I knew exactly why I did.

Now, holding my wedding shoes longingly in my hands, I glance at Jackie and ponder her offer, realizing that this was probably her way of saying thank you for last night and for later today.

"Okay, Jackie," I nod my head. "That would be really nice. Thank you. We'll head out this afternoon."

"Great!" she flashes me one of her now-rare smiles. Then she spins on her heel and heads out the door.

"What was that about?" Eric gestures in the direction Jackie left. "What 'errands' do you guys have?"

I open my mouth, uncertain of what to say. So instead I plant a kiss on Eric's cheek and settle with, "It's a long story."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I did my best to suppress a yawn as I waited for Angie to show up for her shift this morning. I had messed up arranging albums twice already, and had almost fallen asleep at the register. _This_ is why I didn't normally work the early morning shift, but especially since I had barely slept the night before. I wouldn't – couldn't – let anyone know that though, so I fought through the exhaustion, working through the morning shift while Angie returned from some sort of errand.

What I didn't expect, however, was that _Kelso_ was her errand.

"Well, thanks for dinner," Angie faces Kelso as they walk through the front door.

"Thanks for dessert," Kelso smiles at her. I feel sick.

"Thanks for breakfast," Angie continues.

"Thanks for dessert," Kelso says again, and I swear this time his eyes flash over at me. So…this was his attempt to rub it in. Again.

They lean in to kiss, and I can only take it for so long before interrupting. "Congratulations, Angie. You just got four different kinds of herpes."

Angie pulls away from Kelso and shoots me a look. But then she heads off toward the office, so at least it worked.

"Hey, Hyde," Kelso grins as reaches for the door. "I just learned something very important. You know that saying, it's like kissing your sister? Well it's totally wrong because kissing _your_ sister is great!" Then he runs out the door.

If I had any energy left, I would run after him. But I don't. So after making plans to see a movie with Angie later (as well as giving her what seemed like my millionth warning about Kelso), I grab my keys and head home.

o-o-o

Kelso ruins my day again. I've been in the basement for just over an hour when he comes bursting through the door, flapping his mouth.

"Hey. Oh, uh, Hyde. Angie can't make it to the movie with you, because, uh," he grabs a soda from on top of the washer before turning to me. "Well, I plumb wore her out," he says, putting on a false apology.

"Kelso," I stand up and face him, having had enough of this. "Jackie and I are fighting right now. And I'm in a really bad mood," I walk over to stand in front of him. "So if you don't stop nailing my sister, I'm going to have to smack you in the head with my car."

Kelso grins at me smugly. "Actually," he says slowly. "You can't do anything to me, because after you stole Jackie from me, we made a pact not to interfere with each other's pursuit of a chick," he clicks his tongue and walks away from me.

"I negotiated the pact," Donna tells Forman, both whom had been watching silently from the couch until this point. "Which mainly consisted of Kelso telling me to tell Hyde to sit on it," she shrugs.

Forman thinks about it. "Why do you guys always have pacts?" he glances between me and Kelso who is now meddling with the record player. "You never give me a pact." He pauses. "I want a pact!" he whines.

Kelso disappears after giving me one last parting snide remark about Angie. I sit down in my chair. With this fight between me and Jackie, this was the last thing I needed on my plate. "Freakin' pact," I mutter.

"You know, Hyde," Forman leans forward, turning serious. "This doesn't have to be a problem. I happen to know a lot of ways out of a pact, my friend."

Donna, who had gotten up to grab a soda, pipes in. "That's true. We once had a pact to get married, but then he just didn't show up."

I look over at Forman and he just nods as though this served as the perfect example.

"So you think you can get her to break up with him?" I figure I'll give it a shot. It's better than her staying with him.

"Maybe. But that would require you and I going into business together, i.e. you and I forming a pact," he smiles at his own cleverness, as though he tricked me into something. "Which would mean…you gotta do something for me."

"I don't think so, man," I say immediately. I think of a way out of it. "This is a starter pact. You handle this, you get a big boy pact."

Forman nods and reaches forward to shake my hand. Sucker.

Donna speaks up again. "I don't know, Eric. A starter pact? I mean, that sounds a lot like training wheels, and you were on those for a really long time."

"No. No, I want a pact. So if a starter pact is what I get…then so be it," Forman shrugs.

"Okay," Donna says, then starts to move toward the basement door.

"Wait, Donna," I stop her. "How's Jackie?"

"She's….working some things out," Donna chooses her words carefully. "But I think she'll come around," she gives me a sympathetic look before leaving the basement.

I sigh audibly. If only I could make a pact to get Jackie back.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~Jackie Burkhart~

I run back to the idling car, and climb back into the driver's seat.

"Okay. Your shoes are returned," I inform Donna as I pull my belt across my lap. "And thankfully, Stacy Wanamaker didn't remember who you were."

"Thank God," Donna leans her head back. "All right. Ready to go apartment hunting?"

"Yes!" I clasp my hands together. "I'm so excited. This feels so…" I'm at a loss for words.

"Grown up?" Donna offers.

"Exactly!"

This morning, after I left Donna in the kitchen, I started going through the newspaper clippings with apartment advertisements in Racine that I'd been collecting for the past week. I organized them into the three best options considering size, location and price (which I hated to admit was a factor, but while a full-ride scholarship to Marquette would pay for my education, I only had so much money in my trust fund to pay rent for an apartment). I had narrowed it down to three apartment complexes.

The first of the three apartments was the least expensive, but also the oldest. It was of decent size: one bedroom, one bath, a kitchen and living room. But there was also mold in the bathtub, food stains on the walls in the kitchen, and a large snag in the carpet in the living room (which they had cleverly tried to cover with a potted plant, but I caught it anyway). With all that being said, it wasn't the apartment for my refined tastes, and even Donna was cringing when we left.

When we arrived at the second apartment, it was only to discover that a deal had already been closed with a new tenant, so by the time we pulled into the parking lot of the third complex, I was praying for a hit.

"This is the most expensive option, but it might be worth it if I don't have to live in that other decrepit mess of an apartment," I tell Donna as we step out of the car and walk up to the building.

Before Donna has a chance to respond, a cheery voice greets us at the entrance.

"Hello ladies," he says. "I'm the landlord – "

"Fenton," Donna and I say simultaneously.

Fenton looks taken aback, but swallows it and pushes forward. "Are you ladies looking for an apartment?"

"I am," I say quickly. "She's just here for friendly moral support," I say cheerily.

"Alright, shall we?" Fenton leads us up the stairs to the apartment available for rent.

As soon as we walk through the door I feel a flood of relief wash over me. No mold. No stains. No snags. The apartment opened up into the living room. To the left was the single bedroom and the single bathroom. Across the floor on the other end of the living room was the doorway to the kitchen. There are folding, accordion style shutters covering the window between the living room and kitchen. (2)

But most importantly was the balcony to the left of the kitchen. I make a bee-line for that, and step outside. It was mostly secluded by trees, but off in the distance I could make out the road. From this view, I could see two road signs.

"Donna!" I call her as I read the signs. She joins me outside. "Look."

One sign pointed to the left and read MILWAUKEE and MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY underneath. The other sign pointed right and read POINT PLACE.

"It's like it's a sign," I tilt my head. "The two parts of my life, represented right here out on this balcony."

Donna just looks at me like I've totally lost it. "I don't know about that," she spins around and heads back inside. I follow her. "But this apartment _is_ really nice," she admits as we walk and take a look around. "Can you afford the rent though?" she whispers.

I shrug. The price really was my biggest concern, but I already loved it here. "I'll have to get a job, but I know Marquette has a lot of job opportunities on campus for students."

After taking one more look around, Fenton comes up over to us. He clears his throat. "So," he says, raising his eyebrows. "What do you think?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I toss the basketball to Forman. "So. Do you think you convinced Angie to break up with Kelso?" I ask him while we shoot hoops that night.

Forman dribbles the ball across the driveway, pondering this. "I think so," Forman says as he tosses a lay-up. Then he chucks the ball back at me. "And if not, then your sister must be as stupid as Kelso."

"Watch it," I warn him.

But he was right, to a certain extent. If what we'd told Angie about Kelso today didn't work, then nothing would. When they first started dating, I'd tried using the scare tactic on her, telling her all about his rocky past with girls and the fact that he had a baby with another woman. Hell, from time to time I still brought it up.

However, as part of Forman's 'starter pact' he decided it would be wise to dredge up Kelso's past once again, only this time while focusing on all the idiotic and stupid things he had done. He was able to get Red, Donna, and Mrs. Forman all to tell stories about things Kelso had done in their presence. Angie got to learn all about Kelso's blender rocket, car skiing, and of course you couldn't tell stories about Kelso without mentioning one of the several times he glued himself to something. Today that story was when he glued himself to the Forman's refrigerator.

All in all, I was impressed with Forman's endeavors. Mrs. Forman had even called Kelso a 'big dumb dumb.' Recalling that now made me smile as I sent the ball flying toward the hoop, through the net…and into Kelso's arms.

"Angie just broke up with me," he says without introduction.

"No," I say, laying the sarcasm on thick.

"I don't know what happened. She just dumped me out of nowhere. And I was going to take her car skiing," he points to the Vista Cruiser.

I shake my head at him. I was glad to see this whole thing over with, even as I felt the smallest twinge of guilt.

Kelso faces Forman. "I need a hug from your mother," he says, then passes us into the kitchen.

Forman takes a step forward, a slightly disturbed look crossing his features. He shakes it off. "Take off the training wheels buddy, because it looks like somebody's ready for his big boy pact," he singsongs and passes me the ball. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go pull Kelso off my mother," he looks troubled again, then follows in the direction that Kelso headed.

Suddenly filled with an inexplicable feeling of rage, I aimlessly chuck the ball at the basket. Instead, it flies right over and into the hedges between Forman's house and Donna's.

"Crap," I mutter and stride over to the bushes to search for the ball.

I don't see the ball right away, but what I do see is the large picture window to the Pinciotti living room. Sitting on the couch are Donna and Jackie. I know I should pull away and give them their privacy, but it had been a whole day since I'd seen Jackie; a whole day since that stupid fight. Seeing that she way okay, even from this distance, was enough to settle that rage within me.

They had the TV turned on to _The Partridge Family_ , but neither was watching. Instead, they were both leaning over the coffee table, intently focusing on a pile of papers that I couldn't make out from this distance. Donna has a bowl of popcorn in her lap. Every few seconds she tosses some into her mouth as Jackie struggles with a calculator.

I think about what Donna said this morning about Jackie. _She's working some things out_. What were these things? And why hadn't Jackie told me? I feel a twist in my gut, and realize that I needed to do something before I lost her for good.

After another moment, Jackie leans back against the couch, tugging on her hair. She says something to Donna, frowning. Donna says something in response, but Jackie doesn't stop pouting. Then Donna takes a piece of popcorn and tosses it at Jackie, hitting her square on the nose. This time Jackie cracks a smile. Donna says something again, and this time Jackie starts laughing straight out.

I find the ball just then, and retreat out of the bushes, relieved to know that if Jackie couldn't confide in me, at least she had Donna.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

Donna and I were standing on the Forman back porch. Today, Donna had agreed to come with me to Marquette to see what I could do about finding a job. She wanted to talk to Eric first, which is why we were here.

I was a little nervous. It was going on two days now since I'd last spoken to Steven. And I knew he was home because the Camino was parked at the bottom of the driveway. Part of me desperately wanted to see him. I missed him so much. But the stronger part of me knew that I couldn't go to him until I was ready to talk to him. Until then, any interaction had to be on his part.

"Jackie. I still can't believe you already closed a deal on that apartment," Donna waits with me on the porch. Eric was on his way home from picking something up from the muffler shop, according to Mrs. Forman.

"What can I say, Donna? I grew up rich and never learned the value of money," I shrug, not all that concerned.

"What makes you so certain you're even going to find a job? And what if you don't? How are you going to pay rent for that – " Donna stops abruptly. Her eyes widen as she senses something behind me.

"What's up?" Steven passes through the sliding door.

I have a brief moment of amnesia where I forget everything that has happened in the past two days. Its just like any other day and everything is fine and Steven and I are okay.

And then it passes and we're back in this rut of reality.

"Nothing," I write him off, but refuse to break eye contact.

Steven watches me for a moment. After a long pause, he speaks. "Usually when I ask that question, you don't stop talking until I pretend to fall asleep."

I am unable to stop myself from smiling for a moment, although it surprises me when Steven is quick to return that smile.

"Ah. Well, not today," I provide him with a response.

"You look like you're not telling me something," Steven speculates. He glances at Donna, and then back at me.

And then I get it. He understands. Maybe not completely, but he understands that there's something more going on here than just a box of missing toys. And although he doesn't say so in so many words, I know he's sorry about the party.

"Seriously, Steven. Everything's fine," are the next words out of my mouth.

Regardless of whether or not he was sorry, I still wasn't ready to tell him about what was going on.

"All right," Steven says quietly. "Okay."

I didn't realize that he had been hopeful I would say something until I see the hope fall from his face. I feel my heart ache more than it should when he accepts my silence like a wounded dog and shuffles away.

"Jackie!" Donna groans as soon as he's out of earshot.

"I'm sorry, Donna," I read her mind. "I just wasn't sure if I could tell him yet."

"He basically just told you he wanted to know what was going on with you!"

"Look, Donna. I know…" I fall into one of the porch chairs. "I just don't know what to do."

Eric rolls up the driveway just then and pulls the Vista Cruiser into the garage.

Donna watches him, but speaks to me. "Well, Jackie. I know what to do." Eric opens the door and Donna shifts her head down to look at me. "So I'm going to do it."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

The door comes flying open and in comes a pouting Kelso. "I called Angie like twenty times and she won't even answer the phone," he sulks and throws himself on the basement couch.

"Wow, I guess something really turned her off," Forman turns around from the record player to look down at Kelso. "Something incredibly powerful," he gestures to himself from behind the couch.

"So I narrowed it down to two reasons why Angie might've broken up with me," Kelso ignores Forman's comment. "She's either a lesbian or a robot."

I shift uncomfortably in my chair and exchange looks with Fez who is sitting next to Kelso on the couch. We'd filled Fez in on the details before Kelso got here, and only now did I realize what it must've meant for Fez to be keeping something from his best friend.

"Come on man, its just a girl. You'll get over it," I try to cheer Kelso up. "Hey. Do something for you," I combat the growing guilt. "Take up smoking."

Kelso rubs his forehead, frustrated. "I don't want to get over it. I just want Angie back." He stands up again and heads back to the door he just arrived from. "I'm going home."

The door slams and I hang my head on my chest.

"Wow…he really liked her," Forman wrings his hands together nervously.

"I feel like I kicked a puppy," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Guys, I don't feel right about this. I'm not sure if I can keep this from Kelso," Fez discloses, confirming my earlier suspicions.

"Don't worry, Fez. You're not going to have to for much longer," I say, making my mind up already.

"Why?" Fez asks, watching as I grab the keys to the Camino and walk to the door.

"Because I'm going to fix this," I close the door behind me.

I had made way to many messes in the last two days. And although I had failed in fixing the first one, I hoped I could fix this one before it was too late. I was just so sick and tired of sitting around while everything fell apart around me and being able to do nothing but watch.

o-o-o

The sun has already passed behind the horizon when I pull into the parking lot at Grooves. Through the window I see Angie pass through the store from our shared office to the register.

"All right, Angie. Here's the deal," I cut to the chase the second I walk through the door. "I did want everybody to tell you those stories about Kelso. And that was wrong. Because he really likes you. So you have to take him back."

Angie looks up from the cash register and blinks a few times as she digests all that I've said. "Steven, this is so unlike you."

"Well. Let's just say that I've had a lot of time to think about things lately," I say vaguely.

Angie watches me closely. When she sees I have no intention of saying more, she purses her lips and answers. "Well, I didn't break up with Michael because of the stories," she sighs. "I broke up with him because I saw it was bothering you. And we have a business to run," she shrugs, and then returns to organizing the register.

"Look, just do me a favor and take him back," I can't believe I'm resorting to begging her. I remind myself that I am working on a clean slate, here.

"I'll think about it," she says, right when I hear a voice that sounds a lot like Kelso come from behind me.

Sure enough, Kelso then proceeds to saunter out of the office. "Oh man, Hyde. It is _not_ easy doing it on your desk," he says, his voice full of contempt. He joins Angie behind the register. I swallow a lump in my throat.

"Okay, so I may have already thought about it," she avoids making eye contact with me. "He's so good looking," she dazes up at Kelso and he wraps an arm over her shoulders.

"Uh-huh," I say slowly. I did not like getting duped like this by Kelso, no matter how bad I felt for the guy. I shoot him a look to let him know as much. "Great."

I leave them alone then, having had enough of Kelso's cocky grin and Angie's apologetic one. I use driving home as an opportunity to cool off. This is what I wanted, I remind myself. If they made each other happy, then…whatever. And Kelso was only acting so arrogant because he knew how much it bothered me.

Mr. and Mrs. Forman had gone to a wedding tonight, and so the kitchen is empty when I get home. Mrs. Forman had arranged some leftovers for dinner for Forman and me, but I'm not all that hungry. After finding all the things I needed, I make myself a sandwich.

I've taken no more than two bites from my sandwich when I am accompanied by Donna. "Hey," she says as she enters through the sliding door.

"Hey," I drag out the word. I could tell that there was a reason she was here, but I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to hear. "How's Jackie?"

Donna joins me at the table, pulling her coat tight around her. She purses her lips as she considers my question. Then, after a moment she plants her hands on the table and takes a deep breath.

"Jackie has a lot of things going on right now and she's afraid to talk to you," she winces as she adds this last part.

"Why?" I make a face.

"She thinks that you're going to ditch her or…something," she rolls her eyes. "Anyways, she doesn't know I'm here right now. But she'll figure it out soon, so that doesn't give me much time to tell you what's going on."

I put my sandwich down, giving Donna my full attention. Finally, after two days, I was getting some answers.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

I start the descent down the stairs to the basement, shoving my hands in my pockets to avoid the unforgiving winter freeze of Wisconsin. Through the blinds on the door I can make out the warm, yellow light. Its appeal, however, is misleading. Yet still, I let myself be fooled.

I force myself to take another step down and duck my head into my chest. I wanted to be out here in the cold about as much as I wanted to enter that basement. I'd spent a lot of time outside today, walking around the campus at Marquette University while I tried to find someone, anyone, who could help me find an on-campus job.

I'd found no such luck, however. Apparently, the job offers were only for current students, although I was assured I could find something when I started next semester. That was a problem though. If I wanted to move out after graduation this spring, I needed a job now, not in the fall.

Donna could only offer so much consolation. About an hour earlier she had left me at her house to rest while she went over to the Forman's to hang out with Eric.

I'd sat up in Donna's room for about half an hour before I found myself here on these steps. I shift down another one. I'd been unable to stop my racing mind and quickly realized that I needed something to occupy my mind. Or at least slow these racing thoughts.

And I figured things couldn't get much worse at this point, so I'd gathered up all the resolve I had left and decided it was time to talk to Steven. Hopefully I could find a way to talk to him about everything, despite how angry I was with him. But I was still nervous.

I rest my hand on the door handle. And despite the cold already settled deep in my bones, the biting cold of the metal sears through my fingertips and up my arm. I am surprised, however, to find the door unlocked. Usually by this late hour when all our friends had gone home for the night, Steven locked this door. It makes me hesitate in opening the door. Was he expecting me?

"Hey," I say right away when I see Steven sitting in his chair.

"Hey," he mimes. I take my time closing the door, using it as an opportunity to collect my thoughts, which had foolishly scattered the second I saw Steven.

"I thought you'd be out buying furniture for your new apartment," Steven says and I feel the blood rush out my face. "Or touring Marquette. Or maybe trying to contact your absent mother."

"Donna's mouth is as big as her feet," I blurt. I step farther in. I pull off my coat and throw it on the lawn chair.

"Jackie, what the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me?" he ignores my comment.

I pull the sleeves of my yellow turtleneck over my hands, feeling suddenly vulnerable.

"Look, Steven. I know it seems stupid, but I really was afraid to tell you anything. With my mom, I was afraid of telling you, or anyone, because that would make it more real. And with Marquette, I was afraid you'd get mad for not telling you I applied in the first place," I'm blabbering now, talking really fast, but I don't care. "And then the longer I kept putting it off, the angrier you'd get. And I was this close to telling you, but then you pulled that stupid stunt with the toys while I was planning a future. And I'm sorry I kept my life, my future from you, but I was starting to think it was never going to happen with you."

"Seriously, Jackie?" Steven stands up. "You have all this crap going on right now, and you choose to focus on a stupid box of toys? Why can't you just be happy with what we have?"

"Because I'm not Steven," I raise my voice to combat the tears I feel building up. "Okay, look. I need to know that we have a future together. Otherwise…what are we doing? Steven, do we have a future?"

"Jackie, I don't know," he shakes his head.

With those three simple words I feel my heart break. "Oh my God, that's all you ever say. Please, Steven. Please say anything else."

"Jackie, I mean I don't know what's going to happen to us. Neither do you. We can't predict the future," he swallows. He crosses his arms and looks down at his feet.

I say nothing, sensing there's something more. _Hoping_ there's something more.

"Look, all I know is that I _want_ to have a future with you. I meant what I said at the Christmas party." He looks at me now. "You're the one part of the future that I am happy about."

I nod my head slowly without breaking eye contact. But when nothing comes out of my mouth, I start nodding my head faster until I can't look him in the eye any longer. "Okay. Okay…so. Steven," I take a deep breath. "Do you want to live together? Do you want to move into an apartment with me this summer?"

Steven rakes a hand through his hair once, then twice. "Jackie, you know I'm sorry about the Christmas party. I've realized what a stupid, asshole move it was stealing those toys. But the truth remains…I'm not ready," he admits.

I take in a shallow, shaky breath, startled and disappointed all at once. I knew I shouldn't have done this. Shouldn't have laid my heart on my sleeve like this, just so he could slice it open.

"But you have to know, Jackie, I am ready for _you_. I know that. But I've never really had a carefree childhood, and giving all that up now," his voice hitches. "I'll be honest, it scares the hell out of me. I'll be ready one day, though. Until then I'll be right by your side, and I just hope you'll wait for me."

I didn't care that there were tears streaming down my face and that my mascara was probably running. I close the few remaining feet between us and throw my arms around his neck.

Was I completely satisfied with his answer? No. But he was trying, harder than I had originally realized. I could accept that. That's what you did when you loved someone. You made sacrifices and you made changes. He was doing this now for me, and I know I could do the same for him.

"I will _always_ wait for you," I breathe into his ear.

With these words, I feel Steven relax into my embrace. I bury my head into his neck.

We stand there together for a long time. It didn't matter what happened anymore, we were together, and we were both on our feet. And even though Steven was right that we didn't know what the future held, this seemed like a pretty promising start.

* * *

Footnotes:

1 – So I took some liberties when it came to locations and timing here, especially since Point Place is a fictitious town in Wisconsin. So what I did was, based on the towns and cities that the group visit often (Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago to be specific), I have come to the conclusion that Point Place is probably located in the more south-east corner of Wisconsin, near Kenosha (where they visit the most). Now, like Jackie, I've done a lot of thinking about this. So, let's locate Point Place between Kenosha and Racine. If Jackie moves to the northern end of Racine, that would leave her about thirty minutes from Marquette University in Milwaukee (which is not bad for a commuter college student – I travel thirty minutes to school every day too) and about twenty minutes from Point Place.

2 – In case you were wondering with Fenton and the description of this apartment: yes, this is the same apartment complex that Fez and Kelso move into later in season 7. This would be a one bedroom apartment, while Fez and Kelso rent the two bed/two bath apartment we actually see in the show.

* * *

Chapter 3 is based on the episode "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and will be posted on the day this episode aired: **January 12th**.


	4. Can't You Hear Me Knocking

~JACKIE BURKHART~

A month had passed, and with it everything changed without anything really changing at all. The year 1979 had arrived, and now there was eleven months left of the '70s. The end of the decade and I was a completely different person from the Jackie of the start of the decade.

But right now it was about waiting. It was the end of January and it seemed like my future loomed closer each day. Only five months now until I moved to Racine at the end of June. And as each day passed, I grew more and more anxious. Anxious for it just to get to June already, but also anxious about living on my own. Not to mention how I still had no idea how I was going to pay rent…

I had to keep reminding myself that it wouldn't be all that different from how I was living now: alone in my parent's house. So I knew I could do it.

I focus my attention back on the present and stare at the waffle on my plate. I prod at it with my fork, but realize that it was probably cold at this point, after sitting untouched while I got lost in my daydream.

Mrs. Forman must read my mind. "Jackie, your waffles are probably cold by now." She reaches across the sink to grab my plate. "I'll just give you a warm one. How does that sound?"

"Really, Mrs. Forman," I attempt feebly. "That's okay. I'm not all that hungry."

"Of course you are," she negates, sliding my plate back over to me with a piping hot waffle on it.

When I told Steven – when _Donna_ told Steven – about how I was living alone in my parents' house again, he had agreed not to push me to move back in with Donna, as long as I promised to accept some help. For instance, I had agreed to eat breakfast and dinner at the Forman's three times a week. At first I had argued that I was fine, but he then told Mrs. Forman, who had insisted upon it as well. I had learned my lesson pretty quick too. If I went too many days without eating at their house I was pestered by the two of them until they finally saw me put food in my mouth.

"Okay, so this hubcap is busted," Steven announces as he walks in through the sliding door, shaking snow off his coat. He drops it on the kitchen table next to Red, who is already dressed for work, then joins me at the kitchen bar. Mrs. Forman hands him a plate of waffles as well.

"Rust," I state before moving some food into my mouth. "Mr. Forman, have you noticed all the salt on your road lately?"

"I've noticed," he mutters, staring off at nothing in the distance. (1) After a moment, he focuses back on Steven. "We'll work on your hubcap tomorrow, son. Today, I'm spending the day ice fishing," he says fondly.

Mrs. Forman looks up from the sink eagerly. "Well I'll come with you. Grab a fishing stick for me," she offers her husband.

"I don't want to go." Red's demeanor contrasts greatly from what it was moments before.

"What? Why not?" Mrs. Forman dares to ask the dangerous question.

"Because I don't want you to go."

"Alright, I'm outta here," Steven interjects. "Come on, Jackie. This could get ugly."

"I'm way ahead of you." I hop out of my seat and lead the way down to the basement. As Steven eases the door closed behind us, I hear their argument pick up again.

"Twenty bucks says Mrs. Forman goes ice fishing with him," I tell Steven as we make our way down the stairs.

"No way. Red goes ice fishing for the solitude. He'd _not_ go before going with Kitty," Steven says as he takes his seat.

"You're on," I say diplomatically as I join Donna and Eric on the couch.

Michael and Fez are here too, and now that we're all together, Eric speaks up. "What are we doing today, guys?"

"I'm going to karate class," Donna says around the lollipop in her mouth. "Jackie, you should come with me."

"What?" I balk, turning sideways to look at her. "Are you crazy? That's so…" I amble through my head for the right word. "Sweaty," I decide.

"I just thought maybe you'd want to learn some self-defense since you're going to be living on your own soon," she reminds me.

I feel a stifling burst of heat spasm up my body, and I chance a look in Steven's direction. He has turned his head away, but his knee is bouncing up and down. He and I were…okay. We'd worked things out after the whole Christmas party debacle. But his denying my request to live together was still somewhat of a sensitive spot and I needed to say something before things got any worse.

"I guess I have nothing better to do." I come up with the most basic excuse. "And anyways, we all know how much I love to do mannish, unladylike things with you."

"Great." Donna drags out the word. "This should be fun." She gives me such a forced smile that I can't help but return it with a genuine one of my own.

I follow Donna out the door, zipping my coat up to defend against the cold.

"So, when did you start taking karate?" I ask curiously as I struggle to keep up with her wider gait without slipping on the icy sidewalks.

"This is my third class," Donna starts. "Point Place Junior College provides me with free lessons. Today is Buddy Day, where you can bring a friend for free, which is why I asked you."

"Really?" I'm taken slightly aback. "You chose me over Eric?"

Donna's silent for a moment. I look up at the sky. Not only was it cold, but the gray sky almost blended in with the snow on the ground, as though the winter had leeched out all the life and left us in a world devoid of color. It was times like this when I really missed the sun.

"While Eric is weak, yes," Donna starts, pulling me out of my darkening inward thoughts. "I thought this would benefit you better. Like I said, pretty soon you're going to be living on your own. You almost are, already."

This again. "I'm fine," I say weakly.

"Really, Jackie?" Donna turns serious. "Because its been a month and you haven't been able to find a job. How are you going to pay for your apartment?"

"I'll find a way." I grow defensive.

"Jackie – "

"Look, Donna," I cut her off. "Yes, I was hoping for you or Steven to live with me and help pay the rent. But that's not happening with either of you. And I understand. You both have home's already. And families. You aren't ready to give that up yet. So I have to do this on my own. And I will find a job and figure it out," I say curtly.

"How do you know that?" Donna pushes forward.

"I don't. But if I don't stay positive, I'm going to give up. And this is the first grown-up thing I've done for myself, and God, I want this, okay? It has to work. There's no other option."

"Okay," Donna says flatly.

We walk in silence for a few minutes and I mull over our conversation. Donna made some points. Maybe this self-defense karate stuff would be good for me. Because I was going to make this work. Like I told Donna – she and Steven already have homes. I have a house. I was going to make myself a home, if it was the last thing I did. Whatever means necessary.

"Alright," Donna says, her breath coming out in crystals of moisture. "We're here."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I watch as Jackie follows Donna out the door without a second glance in my direction. When Donna mentioned the living arrangements, I hadn't been able to look Jackie in the eye. But now I regretted not watching Jackie closely because I hadn't the slightest clue where her head was anymore.

Or maybe I was just being paranoid.

That was entirely possible, considering how much had come out of my mouth after The Argument of last month. I'd had no other choice but to let myself be open and vulnerable to Jackie, lest I risk losing her. But now I was uncomfortable, because that meant that she had the power to crush me, something I had never given _anyone_ the power to do.

I was only just learning that Jackie wouldn't do that. That Jackie was different.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~ERIC FORMAN~

Hyde's moody expression worsens, turning to one of brooding regret as he watches Jackie and Donna walk out the basement door. Seeing his emotions displayed so obvious on his face was…disconcerting, to say the least.

"Oh. Look at our poor little tough guy." I reach forward and pat him on the knee, resorting to the typical sarcastic banter we exchange in order to lighten things up again.

"I think someone needs a tickle." Kelso joins in with his own joke.

"No." Fez shakes his head from his spot next to Kelso. "I'm okay." And Kelso shoots him a look filled with disdain.

"Look, Hyde." I turn to him with a flourish, switching tactics seeing as the banter and jokes weren't working. "We're your best friends, and we're here for you. Okay, we're not going to let you go through this thing alone."

Even through his shades I can see him roll his eyes. "Would you shut up, Forman? I'm fine. Jackie and I are fine," he says tersely.

But I know its not true, based solely on his body language. He was tense, sitting with his arms crossed and lips adhered together tightly. Hyde rarely ever grew this tense, so when he did, you knew it was serious. And I was beginning to think there was only one way to fix him and turn him back into the kicked back, aloof guy we all knew and loved.

I think Kelso is on the same page as me. "No. You know, Eric's right. We're going to do what guys do for each other." He hops over to the front of the couch to address Hyde. But before he can say anything else, Fez pipes in.

"A massage train?" he guesses, and as always he has no clue.

"No," I say slowly to Fez before looking back at Hyde. His expression has grown dull. Clearly he was tired of this conversation. But I had a feeling he'd like what was next. "But we did get you a present."

I turn and nod at Kelso, certain he knew where I was going with this. He shoots straight for his jacket and pulls out a joint from his pocket. I glance over at Hyde. He says nothing, but I see his eyebrows rise over the top of his shades. After a moment, he sighs and scoots his chair in closer. Before long, we're sitting in the circle, the smoke filling our eyes and minds with nonsense and sweet, sweet ignorance.

"This is a great present, guys." A smile slowly relaxes on to Hyde's face moments after his second hit. "I especially like the teeny white paper you all wrapped it in."

Kelso's smile, on the other hand, was the one he typically wore during these sessions, filled with obliviousness and thoughts only he ever found funny. "Yeah, the only thing that could ruin today is if the Russians set off that Russian death ray that's pointed at the White House."

I narrow my eyes at him and lean forward to take my second hit. Maybe then he would be making more sense. "No seriously." He sees my look. "I read about it in a magazine."

I pass the joint to Fez before addressing Kelso. "Kelso, that was The Flash. And it is a comic book."

"I love comic books," Fez starts, moving off on his own tangent, having passed the Circle and now heading in his own direction. "I wish I had thought bubbles…do you see anything?" He concentrates on the air directly above his head.

"Kelso, the Russians don't have a death ray." Hyde moves us back to the Circle. "But they do have a stupid ray, and its pointed directly at you."

I can't help but smile at the sweet burn, even as Kelso argues the death ray again. It meant that the old Hyde was in fact back, and our present had worked. I get so worked up in patting myself on the back that I don't even notice that Kelso has picked up the phone and has asked for the White House.

"Kelso," I groan, searching for a way to get him to hang up. "I'm – I'm not allowed to make long-distance calls without permission," I go ahead and admit.

Kelso ignores me, having become stubborn to prove he's right. The Circle is now officially over, especially with my growing concern over Kelso's intentions. Fez steps over the table to take a seat on the couch. I chance a glance in Hyde's direction. He's no longer smiling, but at least his expression is neutral now, rather than the dark ruminating one from before.

I focus my attention back to the idiot on the phone. "Kelso, if you ask the White House if there's a Russian death ray, they're going to have you committed," I attempt again. "So yeah, I say go for it." This time it's the reverse psychology that I take a crack at.

"Well, obviously they won't admit it. There'd be panic in the streets," Kelso says scornfully, as though I'm the one being ridiculous here. "That's why I gotta trick 'em into talking about it. It's what us cops call 'tricking them.'"

And before I know it, Kelso is jumping in his seat because the dumbass actually reached the White House.

"Hello, hello…White House? Yeah. Yes, I have a couple questions." There's a short pause. "Yes, um, how well is the President protected?"

I lean forward in my seat. Man, I knew Kelso was stupid, but sometimes he still managed to surprise me.

"Well, uh…because someone wants to hurt the President, that's why," he continues.

For instance, this was one of those times that his stupidity astonished me. I can't help but laugh.

"You're damn right it's a threat!" Kelso raises his voice now. Hyde is leaning forward in his chair now too. "It's a terrible threat on the President's life."

Hyde, Fez and I are all laughing at Kelso now, and he starts laughing along with us, completely oblivious to his own supreme idiocy.

"Huh? Where am I right now?" He stands up and immediately the laughter dies from my lips. No, not even Kelso would be stupid enough to – "I'm at Red Forman's house in Point Place, Wis – "

The three of us immediately lunge from our seats and take down Kelso. Hyde manages to pry the phone away from Kelso and hang it up before he can do any more damage.

"You idiot, you just told them where we are!" Hyde shouts.

"So?"

"Kelso, you just threatened the President's life." Hyde continues his incredulous rant. "They're going to come here and arrest us."

"No, no. I'm not threatening his life." Kelso shakes his head, getting worked up like a little kid who's just been scolded. "It's the Russians who have the Russian death ray."

"You didn't mention the death ray," Fez reminds him.

"A-ha, so you admit that there's a death ray." Kelso points at Fez.

I drop my head in my hands. I don't look up until I hear the stomping of feet on the stairs. Hyde is heading up to the kitchen.

"Wait, where are you going?" I follow him.

"I'm going to watch for the feds," Hyde bristles. "I'm not going down without a fight."

Fez follows immediately behind me, and a few moments later, Kelso begrudgingly follows. As I take my place in front of the window in the den, it occurs to me that perhaps all this paranoia was embedded by the marijuana.

But then I remember what Kelso did. He legitimately threatened the life of the President. He told them our location.

Yep. The feds were definitely coming.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

As soon as we walk into the studio, a girl about Donna's age rushes up to us. She has strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a braid and is wearing the most God-awful white karate gi and yellow belt I have ever seen. I do my best not to cringe.

"Hey Donna! Ready for class?" she says cheerily.

"Uh-huh. I just have to go change," Donna says before turning to face me. "Jackie, this is my friend Wendy. We have a few classes together at the Junior College. And Wendy, this is Jackie."

Wendy waves at me, but continues to look at Donna expectantly. It takes Donna a moment to realize that Wendy was waiting for Donna to explain how she knew me. "Oh, um…Jackie and I used to go to high school together. She's my, uh…best friend."

I had kind of zoned out, but hearing those last two words brought me roaring back into reality. I open my mouth to say something, but before I get the chance, Donna is grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me to the changing room.

"Okay, here's your gi." Donna hands me one of those hideous uniforms. "And I asked my instructor, but we're out of white belts so you'll just have to borrow one of the spare yellow belts."

"Donna, you told Wendy – " I start.

"You can change in the bathroom." She points down the hall. "I'll see you on the mats."

"Okay," I take the gi from her and head to the bathroom.

The gi and belt look even worse than I expected, I observe as I join Donna and Wendy on the floor where they are warming up.

"This is a nightmare," I announce. "White suit with yellow belt? Okay, Jackie O couldn't even pull this off on Easter."

Donna rolls her eyes, but I'm spared from her comments when a formidable man wearing a black belt walks over to us. He's probably six feet tall, at least, and wears an expression filled with daunting control and precision.

"Donna-san, you brought a friend?" His voice is strong and clear.

"Yes, Sensei. This is Jackie." Donna grins as she turns to face her instructor. I shoot Donna a look filled with derision before facing her instructor as well.

"Welcome, Jackie-san." He tacks on that extra part at the end, taking me slightly by surprise. "Today, we'll be focusing on self-defense. Let's say someone is accosting you in a dark alley."

"Oh, that doesn't work for me," I blurt, unable to help from interrupting him. But something about this scenario was putting me on edge. "I'd never be in an alley because I'm not poor." That's not why I was uncomfortable, but it was the first excuse I could come up with given Donna's critical glare.

"And if I even was ever in an alley," I move to drive the point home, "I'd have a boy with me to protect me."

"Jackie, you're not always going to be with a guy," Donna says, as though I didn't already know this. "Remember? Hyde's _not_ moving in with you."

I glare at her, but then Sensei starts to speak again. "An assault can happen anywhere, Jackie-san," he says and I suppress an eye roll. "The point is, someone wants to do you harm."

I take a breath and step forward, ready to continue my argument. I had a lot of work ahead of me.

o-o-o

Some roundhouse kicks, blocking systems, and cat stances later, I watch as Donna practices what she called the 'three combination' on her instructor. It involved her blocking a punch, landing her own in his gut, then grabbing his shoulder to flip him over.

After lots of arguing, I had finally won, but had agreed to stay and watch Donna during her class. Now watching her instructor slump on the floor, I give her a big round of applause as she shouts something that sounds like the word 'hut' and backs off from her opponent.

"Good, Donna-san." Her instructor rises impossibly faster than he fell. He bows at her then turns to face me. "Jackie-san!" He shouts that annoying version of my name again. "Would you like to try the move Donna-san just performed?"

I groan, dragging my feet out onto the mat. This was probably the millionth time he and Donna had tried to get me to practice too. "Ugh, but none of this self-defense stuff applies to me. Okay, I've said it before and I'll say it again." I pause. "Everyone loves me." I drag out each word slowly.

"You don't understand," Sensei says, and I have to admit: his persistence was almost as great as mine. "I am a stranger who wants to hurt you."

"Nah, I'm not buying it." I shake my head.

"Okay, Jackie. Let's say he's not a stranger," Donna's voice says from behind me, and I turn to face her, crossing my arms, doubtful that she could say anything to convince me. "Let's say he's someone who already hurt you. Like when Kelso and Hyde cheated on you."

I subconsciously take a step away from her, surprised at the anger I suddenly feel toward my friend. How dare she bring this up? Michael, well, he and I weren't right for each other. And while his cheating on me did hurt, I never would have ended up with Steven otherwise. And yes, Steven cheating on me with that nurse hurt too, but I now could understand that he hadn't been trying to hurt me, but was simply recoiling from the hurt I had inadvertently caused him because he really cared about me and loved me.

But as if my self-confidence hadn't been hurting enough, Donna had to go ahead and bring it up again, like punching a bruise that was already blooming purple and blue.

"They cheated on you, as if Jackie Burkhart weren't special at all." The sneer in her voice was painful to listen to, I'd admit, but I knew she was just trying to set me off so I'd practice that 'three combination.'

"Watch it, Donna," I warn her, moving my hands to my hips.

"I mean…" Donna glances around the room. "I mean, I thought Jackie Burkhart was special."

"Donna, please." I resort to begging her now, no longer caring if I embarrassed myself in this room full of tacky white and yellow cotton.

"It hurt when they cheated on you, right?" Donna ignores me. "Right?" I don't say anything, but Donna isn't waiting for a response either. "Then let out that hurt through karate. Prove that nothing a guy can do to you will ever hurt you. Because you are Jackie Burkhart. And you are special."

Unable to meet Donna's eyes until now, I see her nod encouragingly at me as I slowly break. Then, without worrying about the consequences, I turn back to Sensei _-san_.

"All men are bastards!" I charge at him, and he's so surprised that he jumps backward as I advance on him using all the techniques I had watched Donna practice this afternoon. I throw in all the brute strength my tiny body possessed and aim it at my target.

"They lie and they cheat and they break hearts." I aim my knee at his gut and he doubles over but quickly recovers. "And its not Jackie-san. Its Jackie, just Jackie. Nothing more than Jackie. Get it right, Dork-san!" And to finish off my tirade, I kick him square in the groin, causing him to keel over. He doesn't get up as quickly this time.

I flip my bangs out of my face and turn to Donna, unable to prevent the smile that blooms on my face. "I love karate." I laugh at Donna's stunned expression.

She recovers after a moment and nods. "Me too."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

A van, two more Circles later, and we all find ourselves watching as Forman whispers into a vacuum cleaner. Under any other circumstance, I might've found this ridiculous, but right now I couldn't figure out why.

All that mattered was that the vacuum cleaner was bugged and the feds were onto us.

"You're looking for Michael Kelso," Forman whispers to the machine, and I can't help but chuckle at his feeble attempts at sleuth.

All the 'evidence' we disposed of must've made Kelso slow – correction: _even slower_ – because it takes a moment before he reacts. "Quit it!" he struggles.

"No, I'm not gonna quit it, okay?" Forman raises his voice. "This is all your fault. You called the White House!"

"My fault?" Kelso tosses back. "This is Hyde's fault." He points at me, and I was honestly starting to feel sick enough at this point, that I mightn't've cared. "Cause he's the one having girlfriend issues with Jackie so we had to be nice to him."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Fez jumps in before I have the opportunity to rip Kelso's throat out. "Go easy on the kid! Not moving in with Jackie was the biggest mistake he ever made. Remember? We were talking about it earlier. Behind his back."

"Shut up, Fez," I say, now really growing angry. "If I wanted your advice, I'd kick you in the 'nads."

"Oh, in that case, my advice is please don't kick me in the 'nads," he begs.

I shake my head. "Look, I said it before and I'll say it again. _Jackie and I are fine._ So you can stop with all this petty pity party crap!"

I inadvertently make eye contact with Forman, and he must understand because he quickly changes the subject without being too obvious. "Hey guys, you know what? Maybe the FBI has an opinion. Cause they're listening to us. Remember the v-a-c-u-u-m?"

It's a testament as to how wasted I am when considering how long it takes me to pick up on what Forman is saying. "He spelled vacuum," I realize.

"Whoa, whoa. Vacuum has two u's in it?" Kelso says incongruously. "Nah, that's messed up."

Fez decides to be the voice of reason. "Well, maybe we should turn it on and see if it's really a vacuum. And if it is…maybe we should tidy up a bit."

With all of us in mutual silent agreement, we all take a step back and Kelso reaches for an umbrella by the door and hands it to Forman. We each brace ourselves as Forman reaches forward with the umbrella, aiming for the power button.

And then the room explodes with noise.

o-o-o

I watch as a group of dogs fly out the back of the van and run away from us down the street. A sudden weight slides off my shoulders and I think I've had enough.

"Look, I don't know if it's the fresh air talking," I sigh. "But I'm starting to think this whole thing is just our imagination."

After our fourth – or was it the fifth? – circle, I had begun feeling more sick than relieved, if that was even possible. I'd begun to have my suspicions after we destroyed that vacuum cleaner, but now standing here without a coat in this Wisconsin January, watching as a bunch of dogs run from the van doors we'd just open, I was really beginning to think this whole government thing really was just a conspiracy derived by our own intoxicated minds.

Forman takes a step forward, lowering his lightsaber in the process. "You know what, you guys? Maybe we just need to let this whole fantasy world of ours go," he admits, but immediately condones his own statement. "Whoa," he says after almost hitting Fez with his plastic toy. "Watch out, man. I almost just cut you right in half there."

And then, without another word, we silently move back into the Forman house, leaving this whole conspiracy behind with the empty van.

We file back into the basement, and I slump exhaustedly into my chair, more than ready to forget the disaster of today. Unfortunately, Kelso refuses to let it go, and almost ends up calling the White House again to ask about the vacuum. Thankfully, Forman stops him this time, before he even can reach the phone.

"You don't get to touch that anymore." Forman swipes at Kelso's arm with his lightsaber which he had yet refused to put down.

"So Hyde…" Kelso turns his focus away from the phone and back on me. "Guess we pretty much failed at making you feel better about Jackie, huh?"

Instead at yelling at him for the thousandth time about how Jackie and I were fine, I opt for something else.

"I haven't burned out this hard in years, Kelso, and I'm exhausted. And that's why I'm waiting for Jackie to get back from karate so she can use her new skills to kick your ass for me."

I figured it would go in one ear and out the other, and it did. That's why I couldn't wait until Jackie actually did kick his ass. And I knew she would, after we told her and Donna what Kelso had done today.

What I was not expecting however, was that Jackie and Donna would come running into the basement fifteen minutes later, panting like they'd just been chased down by a pack of rabid dogs.

And I really never expected for that to be the truth.

Oops.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"Oh, I feel so good," I thank Donna voraciously as we turn the corner on a sidewalk on our way back to the Forman's. "This is so much better than staying home all day fretting about my future."

"You were a total badass," Donna discloses, still in shock from my attack on Sensei before.

"Well, I'm not afraid of anything," I say ostentatiously while shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly. But then I focus my gaze on the sidewalk ahead of me…to find a group of wild dogs headed straight for us. "Oh my God!" I screech, immediately turning and heading in the opposite direction.

Beside me I hear Donna scream as well, and then we're both flying back in the direction of the karate studio.

The dogs start to gain on us fast, and even the tiny Chihuahua bares its sharp teeth violently, causing me to pump my legs harder and faster. Donna is a few paces ahead of me, her longer legs working to her advantage.

I glance behind me to see the dogs even closer than before, and when I face forward again, I see Donna has disappeared altogether. Fortunately or unfortunately, I wasn't sure, I don't have time to worry about her as I dive into an alley on my left and find a giant pole I jump on to avoid the dogs.

The pole isn't very steady, but I still my breath as I hear the scampering of feet approach.

And then fade as they pass the alley, having been running too fast to pick up my scent.

I wait a moment before jumping off the pole, I peer my head around the corner and see the dogs still running, now a block away.

"They gone?" Donna says from behind me, and I nearly jump out of my skin.

"Yeah, but we better hurry," I whisper, and together we sprint back to the Forman's.

I can tell that we're both relieved when the Forman house comes into view, and I practically fall into the basement when I swing the door open.

"Oh my God, there was a pack of wild dogs loose." I immediately start to explain to the stricken looking guys sitting catatonically in the basement. "I had to climb to the top of this giant thing to get away from them."

Donna turns to me, an odd expression crossing her features. "That was me," she says.

Well, that explains it.

"Dogs, huh?" Fez says slowly.

Donna and I exchange brief looks before she turns to Eric. "What did you do?" she says, a dangerous note lacing her voice.

"Nothing," Eric grows defensive, waving around one of his Star Wars toys in the air. "We…Kelso thought there was a death ray so he called the White House and the feds came, but…" He sighs. "It was just a vacuum," he concludes.

"Okay, I'm cutting you guys off. Where's your stash?" Donna says, immediately knowing what the cause of this is.

"It's all gone, man," Michael admits, his voice distant.

I shift my eyes from Michael, to Fez, to Eric, until finally resting my gaze on Steven. I'm slightly taken aback when I see him already looking at me, as though he had been expecting this.

"Steven, what's going on?" I try this time.

"Kelso's an idiot. Will you kick his ass for me?" he says.

I shake my head, confused.

"Maybe later." I step around the table then take a seat on his knee. "I'm exhausted."

"You and me both." He exhales, but reaches his arm around my waist to pull me close nonetheless.

Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Forman enter the basement, both dressed in appropriate winter attire, Red equipped with his ice fishing gear. I sit up straight.

There's a scowl spread on Mrs. Forman's face that makes Donna immediately step out of her way.

"From now on, you're going ice fishing on your own," Mrs. Forman mutters to her husband.

Mr. Forman rolls his eyes, but continues moving his fishing gear back into Steven's room.

I shift on Steven's knee to look him in the eyes. I'm close enough to his face to see his eyes widen behind his aviators.

"Mrs. Forman, did you go ice fishing with Mr. Forman today?" I ask her, but I don't break eye contact with Steven.

"Yes," she grumbles. "But I refuse to ever go again."

I see the resignation in Steven's eyes. "Twenty dollars coming up," he says as he reaches into his pocket.

I slap his arm playfully. "Forget the money. Just kiss me." I reach forward and he meets me halfway. We don't break apart until we hear the sounds of angry stair climbing.

We both glance up to see Mrs. Forman storming up the stairs.

"Man, my mom looks mad," Eric observes.

I feel Steven chuckle next to me. "Just wait until she sees her vacuum."

* * *

Footnotes:

1 – Later in season seven (episode 22, I believe) we find out that Red spent Eric's college money on saving the muffler shop. We discover though, that before this he attempted other methods, one being going as far as pouring salt on the roads to rust cars' mufflers. This is a reference to this (only it didn't work out exactly as Red planned, and Hyde's hubcap rusted instead).

* * *

Chapter 4 is based on the episode "Street Fighting Man" and will be posted on the day this episode aired: **February 9th**.


	5. Street Fighting Man

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"If you use vinegar, it reacts with the rust to dissolve it. I learned that in chemistry sophomore year," I suggest to Red and Steven.

"Really?" Red turns to me, impressed, as he wipes his oily hands on a spare towel.

"You know, I could just – " Steven starts.

"Yeah, just as long as you have some steel wool or a wire brush to scrub it with," I continue excitedly.

"Perfect! Kitty has vinegar and steel wool in the kitchen." Red shares my enthusiasm.

" – just buy a new one from the auto-parts store downtown. Its not too ex – "

"Why bother, Steven?" Red turns to him, smiling triumphantly. "This is a much cheaper way, and if Jackie says it works…" Red spins around to face me again.

"Oh totally," I nod my head quickly. "I used it on my hubcaps last weekend. I ran out of the rust remover that Daddy used to keep in the garage and since I had no money," I cringe at admitting this truth, "I used this old trick. Of course you have to seal it, but it beats buying a whole new hubcap."

Steven stands still, shifting his gaze back and forth between me and Red. "Uh-huh," he says slowly before his gaze lands permanently on me. There's a slightly bemused smile on his face and after a moment he shrugs. "I guess I'll just leave you two at it, then."

It was the next day, and as promised, Red was helping Steven with his busted hubcap. After further inspection Red had determined that it was not, in fact, busted, and could be salvaged with some rust remover. When he couldn't find any in his garage, that's when I piped in with my idea about the vinegar.

But really I had been looking for any excuse to help Red with Steven's Camino, and that had been the perfect opportunity without appearing too…eager. Steven and Red knew about my slightly obsessive car passion, but we were at the Forman's and I wasn't exactly on board with the rest of the gang finding out and teasing me endlessly.

Steven gives me a brief kiss on the cheek before heading around the side of the house to the basement entrance. When he is gone, Red impatiently focuses on me.

"So, Jackie. How about you show me this money-saving technique of yours?"

Together we grab the vinegar and steel wool from the kitchen, and then I proceed to show him how I used a towel to brush the hubcap with the vinegar, let it ruminate for a minute, then scrub with the steel wool to remove any persisting rust.

"Wow, that looks almost good as new!" Red holds up the hubcap to the light and I can't help but laugh giddily. It was only ever with cars (and Mrs. Forman) that I ever saw Red this happy. "You know Jackie," he says, lowering the hubcap.

But before he can say anything else, Donna comes running at full speed up the driveway. "Jackie, come with me." She grabs my arm and I am violently yanked by my giant Amazonian friend to the basement before I get the chance to say anything else to Mr. Forman.

"Hey guys," Donna announces once we step through the door to the basement and find all four guys lounging around.

I meander to the open lawn chair, still working on retaining my balance.

"Guess what all of us are doing on Sunday afternoon?" Donna has captured everyone's attention.

"Uh… I hope its not going antiquing again." Eric comes up behind Donna and laughs nervously. "I told you Donna, that's just for girls." And then he whispers something to her, but Donna grows ill with impatience and shrugs him off.

"No, during my radio show we did a promotion where the tenth caller gets six tickets to the Packers game, and since I turned off all the outside phone lines after caller number nine," she pauses, her voice having reached critical intensity. "I was caller number ten, we're going to the Packers game!" she says all in one breath as she pulls out the tickets and starts jumping up and down.

"Awesome, we got six tickets and there's six of us!" Michael states the obvious as he stands up and joins Donna in jumping up and down. "No wait." He stops bouncing and starts to count. "Fez, stop moving around, you're confusing me."

"Okay, uh…well I hate to say it you guys, but I think one of these tickets has to go to my dad," Eric says.

I almost tell Eric that they were Donna's tickets so she decided who they went to, but then I realize that he's right. Mr. Forman was like a father to all of us, and if anyone deserved one of the tickets it was him. "Well, I'd offer to buy him a ticket, Eric, but…" I start to fiddle with the zipper on my red and yellow print vest. "I have no money," I conclude, bitter as ever.

"So that means one of us has to sit this out." Eric nods his head. "Let me see. _Eeny meeny miny_ …Kelso," Eric decides.

"What?" Michael stands up, not nearly as enthusiastic as the last time. "How could you chose your dad over me?"

"Look, my dad is a huge Packers fan and he's never even been to a game," Eric explains.

"Forman, its not a problem," Steven speaks up for the first time since Donna announced the tickets. "We can all go. Me, Kelso and Fez can do the old ticket stub switch."

I can't help it, I smile. Just like upstairs five minutes ago, we were finding a way around the money. Once upon a time, money was my fairytale version of stability. Somehow, that had changed.

Now my real stability was my friends. As it should have been all along.

o-o-o

For the Packers game, I wanted to be spirited yet fashionable. So after spending much of Saturday evening contemplating what to wear, I had eventually decided on my yellow turtleneck and green and yellow plaid jacket (stylish and warm) and to top it off, a Packers beanie that I borrowed from Mrs. Forman.

Everyone else had dressed spiritedly as well (except Eric), but no one nearly as stylish as me, I noted smugly to myself Sunday morning as we all packed into the Vista Cruiser.

Red was driving of course, with Donna and Eric up front with him. In the back sat me, Steven, Michael and Fez squished together uncomfortably. That was the problem with the Cruiser. It fit the six of us nicely, but add one more body and things got a lot more complicated. I was up against one of the doors, the handle digging painfully into my side until Steven elbowed Michael to scoot over so he and I could have more room.

"I have to figure out how I'm going to get Kelso and Fez both into the game," Steven whispers to me once we've all settled in and Red pulls onto the highway.

I pull myself out of thoughts revolving around jobs, apartments and money to talk to Steven. "What? I thought you said you were going to do the ticket stub switch."

"Yeah, but I'm beginning to think they probably aren't the most ideal partners in crime." He jabs his finger over his shoulder.

I peer past him. On his other side, Michael and Fez were both trying – and failing – to turn their eyelids inside out.

I focus immediately on Steven again, trying not to gag. "You should have chosen me. We've always made a good Bonnie and Clyde," I smile. "And like, anyone else in this car before those two morons."

"Yeah," Steven agrees. "But if I don't let them do it, they'll both be complaining about it throughout the game."

"True." I shift positions as Steven maneuvers his arm around my shoulders. "Just make sure you go in first and send the other back out to retrieve the third."

Steven smiles wide. "Oh, that's a given."

o-o-o

Donna and I bring up the rear of our group as we join the line to get inside to the game. It's bitingly cold outside; but it was January in Wisconsin and after a while the cold recedes to the back of my mind as new thoughts start to invade.

Like, how on earth did I plan to pay for heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer? As of right now, I was drying out my small trust fund to pay the six-month lease on the apartment.

And with that the guilt settled in. I stare angrily at my ticket, as if it were the sole cause of all my problems in this world. I flick it aggressively as I realize that I should be spending these days job hunting rather than joining my friends at a Packers game. I didn't really even like football.

"Jackie? Are you okay?" Donna rests her hand on my shoulder, noticing something's amiss. She'd been doing that a lot in the last month. "Because I don't want you to be sad the whole night. I have a feeling I'm going to miss a lot of this game if you're sad."

I can't help but crack a smile at her brutal honestly. "Donna, please. I'm fine. I _am_ Jackie Burkhart." I shove my hands in my pockets. _Why didn't I think to bring gloves?_ I stare longingly at Donna's.

I don't give Donna a chance to say anything else, because as soon as I see her mouth open to say something, I spin quickly on my heel and move up in line again to join our friends.

The first thing I do after we pass the gates and find our seats is go get snacks for everyone. Maybe I had no money, but I had great looks that could charm any vendor, man or woman, into giving me free food. Hopefully then I would be feeling a little better.

I am able to score four hotdogs and a large bucket of caramel popcorn all for free. Smiling to myself, feeling immensely better about my future prospects, I practically skip back to our seats.

"You bought snacks?" Donna glances up at me. "How?"

I knew what that meant. I send a venomous glare in her direction before observing that Eric and Michael were both gone.

"Here, Steven." I tap his shoulder and hand him one of the hotdogs and I pass Red the caramel popcorn (because Steven _hated_ that stuff). That left me with three hotdogs.

"Okay, three hotdogs for Donna." I clumsily pass them all to her. Donna takes them, but stares at me like I've totally lost my mind. "Well, I don't want them." I shrug.

"Where's Eric?" I ask Donna. I figured Steven sent Michael to go get Fez, but that didn't explain where Donna's boyfriend went.

"Red sent him to go buy a jersey," Donna explains and focuses back on the game.

Suddenly unsure what to do with myself, I try to focus my attention on the game as well. When Michael and I were together, we watched a lot of football at his house. I'd hated it, sitting on the ratty old couch, wedged between him and one of his numerous sweaty brothers. Most the time it was him and Casey, and together they would explain the rules of football to me.

That was a long time ago, though, and even then I didn't understand fully. But as I observed the game, I found that I remembered enough details to at least partially follow along.

But just like it did then, the sport quickly loses my attention to boredom. And so my thoughts began to stray again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~FEZ~

After my friends disappeared into the stadium, I find a seat against a nearby wall and pull out my bag of candy as I wait. The concrete was cold through my pants, but the sweet, chocolaty taste of M&Ms was enough to keep me happy.

Hopefully Kelso would find me before I finish the bag and start to freeze again. I'd never get used to these American winters. Back home in –

"Fez!" someone shouts, and I glance up from my bag of candy to see Kelso's head above the crowd, his hand reaching up and waving.

I stand quickly, glad to finally be free of the cold concrete.

"Okay, so here are the ticket stubs Hyde gave me." Kelso passes them both to me. "Your turn to go in."

"Gee, I guess I should give you something in return for these tickets," I realize out loud. I hadn't thought of that before.

Kelso looks confused for a moment, but then it clicks. "Yeah. Hyde didn't mention any trades, but I think you're right."

"Well, I guess you can have the rest of my M&Ms," I resign, sadly handing him the bag. "In return for the two ticket stubs."

"Sweet." Kelso rips into the bag. "Later, buddy."

I enter into the stadium, and for some reason the carney only looks at one of my tickets. I'm about to ask him about the other one, but he is already turned to the people in line behind me. Before I know it, I'm ushered into the crowd of people.

I hear a roar coming from my left, and turn to see a patch of green field peering between two concrete walls. I head in that direction. It takes me a while to find my friends, but when I do I take a seat next to Hyde.

He says nothing to me at first, but turns his head in the direction I came, as though he expected someone to be following me. When he looks then at me, he asks a question that completely dumbfounds me.

"Where's Kelso?"

"Outside, of course," I answer.

"Why?"

Oh, poor Hyde. He was so confused. "Um, we don't have enough tickets," I explain to him slowly. "How can you not get this?"

"Moron, how many ticket stubs do you have on you?" Now Hyde is angry. He was a very complicated man.

"I have two, mine and yours. And, try to keep up." I glare at him. "That's why he's outside and we're inside."

Hyde stares at me for a moment. It seems now I'm the one who has dumbfounded him. "Okay, good. Now go take _both_ ticket stubs and bring Kelso in."

"But, then…how will you get into the game?" I ask him.

"I'm already in the game! Now go!" he yells.

He just didn't understand. So I'd have to do it his way. Although he was making this much more complicated than it needed to be.

"Okay, okay. But you catch more flies with honey," I inform him.

Then I head back the way I came.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

I needed something to distract me, quick. But this football game wasn't doing the trick and I was growing more miserable and cold as the day wore on.

"It's not fair," I complain. Donna tilts her head in my direction, so I know she is listening, but keeps her eyes on the game. 'These guys get paid tons of money to throw a football."

"Jackie, I don't think it's that simple," Donna tells me.

"Yeah, well it's still unfair," I say stubbornly.

When its clear I'm not going to say anything else, Donna actually turns her head away from the game to look at me.

"Jackie, is this about the apartment and job again?" She reads my mind.

"No," I lie.

Donna glances quickly back at the game. She screws her mouth to the side then quickly pulls her pack on her lap and starts rifling through it.

"What are you doing?" I ask her, trying to peer in her bag.

"Looking for something to make you feel better," comes Donna's reply. "Okay, this'll have to do." She pulls out a disposable camera.

"Huh?" I ask, confused.

"Please, Jackie. We all know how much you like pictures of yourself." Donna rolls her eyes.

I don't refute her.

"Hyde." Donna pokes him with the camera. "Will you take a picture of us please?"

Steven grabs the camera, but glances back and forth between us, confused. "Sure," he says slowly.

Donna sits back down next to me, and together we smile as the flash goes off.

"Now switch," Donna says, down to business. She joins Steven on the bleacher below me and he whispers something to her. She gives him just as hushed response. Annoying.

Then Steven takes Donna's seat next to me. "All right. Come on, Jackie." Then he drapes his arm over my shoulder and takes my hand in his. In the last second before the camera flashes I lean my head down on his shoulder.

When we are all settled in our seats again and Donna has returned the camera back to her bag, she asks me if I feel any better now.

"A little," I say truthfully.

I couldn't wait to get those pictures developed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~ERIC FORMAN~

I knew I'd get looks. Nasty looks. Hateful looks. Disgusted looks. Basically all of the above. But the second I saw the miniscule section of Bears merchandise in the corner of the shop, I'd made my decision and stuck to it.

I bought a Bears jersey.

The cashier sneered at me. Other shoppers glared at me with shocked expressions. People gave me a wide berth as I weaved through the stadium back to my seat.

But I was still glad I did it.

I bought the Bears jersey because they were the underdog. And I was the underdog in life. And just like how most the world idolized Han Solo, I still stuck with the underdog hero – Luke Skywalker. It was in my nature, in my blood. And that's what I told my dad when his voice and cries of disappointment joined all those around me.

"Man, all these guys are pissed off at something, huh Dad?" I say sarcastically. I knew it was me they were mad at. And that was more than okay.

"Dad?" He laughs nervously. "Who is this guy? Bears…boo!" Even my father's criticism couldn't get to me.

"Eric," he says in an undertone now. "How the hell can you wear a Bears jersey at a Packers game?"

"Okay, maybe he doesn't understand why its wrong." Donna joins us. "Let me tell you in a way how you can understand: The Packers are like the Jedi…and you're wearing a 'Go Darth Vader!' jersey."

I knew exactly what was wrong, which is why I said what I said next. "Donna that's ridiculous. The Jedi don't play football. They play Manu-Ka," I say slowly as though explaining it to a child.

Donna rolls her eyes, because clearly I didn't understand the point. But it was just like everyone else didn't understand _my_ point.

"Forman, this is worse than when you wore the Air Supply t-shirt to the Aerosmith concert." Hyde decides to give his own translation.

'For God sake, will you just take the damn jersey off?" Red says.

So maybe he was getting annoyed, but so was I. "No. You know what? I like rooting for the underdog, okay? I _am_ the underdog in real life," I start to explain as I feel a great speech coming. "Yeah, I like Charlie Brown. I like the Little Engine that Could. I like the Bears."

And with that everyone leaves me alone. I want to believe it was because I made my point and they finally understood where I was coming from, but then I notice that they are all looking over at Kelso who has just arrived.

"Hey, I'm back." He squeezes himself between Hyde and Donna.

Everyone is silent, as though avoiding the elephant in the room. I am almost sure that this time it wasn't me.

"Um, where's Fez?" Hyde eventually speaks up.

"Oh, I left him outside like we always do," Kelso explains as a sly grin creeps onto his face. "But I like how you made him come in and out just to make him think we weren't screwing with him."

And then, in true Kelso fashion, "Burn!" singsongs loudly from his throat and everything returns to normal.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

I decided to take a walk. Football made no sense to me and was only providing me with the opportunity to think. And the more I thought about everything going on, the more I grew angry with everything and everyone around me. Maybe it wasn't totally fair, but it was how I felt nonetheless.

But as I walk around the concourse of the stadium, I feel my anger slowly start to diffuse. Back here I could watch other people and internally admire or ridicule their attire. There was the girl with the cute forest green parka and the girl with the eyesore, mustard yellow boots.

And so long as I focused on the fashion, I didn't have to think about my future and about how I was wasting my time at a football game when there was more important things to be done. _I should have given my ticket to Bob, or Kitty. I mean seriously –_

 _Oh my God, her mittens are adorable,_ I re-focus quickly. I watch the mittens pass by as my frozen fingers throb painfully and then find something else to focus on. Over by the snack bar is a short blonde holding a very classy clutch.

But perhaps what worried me the most was that I was about to start living like an adult when I had no means to actually live like one. With my parents feeling no longer obligated to take care of me, I had emptied out what was left in my trust fund to pay for the lease on the apartment. But what about after those six months were over? That didn't leave me a lot of time to find a job and earn enough to pay rent, food, utilities, furniture and everything else. And even though I had scholarships that paid for my full ride to Marquette, that didn't cover textbooks and fees.

A wave of sadness and fear washes over me like a burst of heat, and I suddenly feel claustrophobic in this dank and dirty spot beneath the bleachers. Walking as quickly as I can back to my friends, I try to recover my breath which had suddenly been lost, a feeling like being pounded in the chest.

But while my breathing returns to normal as soon as I take my seat next to Donna, that internal heat of dread only grows more aggressive, despite all the normalcy I emit to my friends.

But Eric is wearing a Bears jersey, Red and Donna are cheering on the Packers and Hyde is trying to explain to an oblivious Michael that they were not, in fact, trying to burn Fez. And everything out here with my friends is so freaking normal while I'm not normal or okay at all, that even out here in this giant arena I have trouble breathing.

The Packers score a touchdown and everyone around me rises up and cheers. I join them because maybe if I act normal like them I will begin to feel normal too. But it quickly becomes clear that this wasn't going to work, nothing was.

"I can't do this," I find myself saying out loud. And not quietly either. My voice is speaking to be heard over the stadium's cheers.

Donna and Steven both turn to me, surprised. And there is nothing normal about their expressions and I know its because I have just let my pretense of normalcy fall to ruins.

No one says anything for a moment; the screaming crowd around us allows us to be blind. Like maybe nothing just happened. They can believe I didn't just crack, and I can believe that they didn't just see it.

But after a moment it becomes very clear to us all that this charade was not going to last. And so without another word or so much as a glance in either Donna's or Steven's direction, I flee away from them, back into the fusty, gray concourse.

There's a long line at the snack bar, but adjacent to that is a quiet hallway leading to the bathrooms. I poke my head into the ladies room but there is a group of women forming a line as they wait for the stalls. Resigning to the wall at the open end of the hallway, I take whatever privacy I can get and do my best to hold back the tears currently wracking inside my body.

Perhaps it was the realization that I would not, in fact, be living my dream future. How could I? It was just that now; a dream. Like a sand castle, already one of towers had been stepped on when Steven said he wouldn't move in with me. But now this money dilemma was going to be the final kick that turned my castle into a depressing heap of sand.

I keep my eyes squeezed shut, as though that would stop the tears from leaking out in this not-so-private place. And with that I try to steady my breathing and force myself to forget. Forget about the future. Forget about the football game around me. Forget how to think.

I was more or less succeeding until I feel hands tug at my shoulders and pull me into a familiar embrace. And even when I wrap my arms around Steven's waist and let my head rest on his shoulder, not a sob escapes my throat nor a tear sheds from my eyes.

But perhaps the saddest part of all was that even with Steven's whispered reassurances that it was "all going to be okay," they provided no comfort when my heart already knew the truth. And maybe that was the mark of maturity; when it was no longer so easy to accept these kind of guarantees without any substantial proof. When the magic and power of hope no longer held any credibility. Maybe that was the only part of growing up intended for me.

Only then does a single tear spill onto my cheek.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

Donna and I both watch as Jackie disappears into the sea of green and yellow. When she is completely gone from sight, I immediately feel Donna's gaze – Donna's _angry_ gaze, focus on me.

"It's your turn to fix her Hyde." She sighs exasperated. "I've been dealing with her all day."

I don't argue with her because my better instinct was telling me that I was the one who needed to go after Jackie anyway.

I don't find Jackie right away. Like everyone else, she was wearing the Packers' colors. Though when I do find her, I am ashamed to admit it, but I almost turn back the way I came.

Because behind the wall near the bathrooms I could see her with her head ducked low and her shoulders hunched and just barely shaking. And it wasn't that I didn't want to help her, but I was afraid that whatever it was, it was something I couldn't fix.

Then before I know what I'm doing, my feet are pulling me towards her. And within seconds I know its because if she was being strong, then I could do the same.

Her tiny hands have covered her face, so I announce my presence by pulling her into my arms. She tenses at first, but relaxes almost immediately. Somehow her tearless sobs grow deeper.

"It's all going to be okay," I try, but this wasn't something I really knew how to do, no matter how badly I wanted to help her. And it doesn't work because she just continues to cry in my arms. The fear that this was something I couldn't fix creeps back into my bones.

I glance around us. Miraculously, no one seems to notice. Jackie's sobs are heaving yet silent and her face remains impassive despite the fear I could see in her eyes, shiny with unshed tears.

"Jackie," I say quietly but firmly. Finally she meets my gaze. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can do it," she admits and I see the light fade from her eyes, as though admitting this aloud has made it real. "I want my parents back." Her voice cracks, and I feel my heart crack with it.

That was one of the few things that really made my blood boil. Having been through a nearly identical situation, Jackie's parents abandoning her, even really before her father was sent to prison, angered me beyond all rationalization.

"I just want someone to take care of me," she whispers, and I have to concentrate on her lips to understand what she has said.

"Hey." I tilt my head down until she makes eye contact again. "I know you do. But I also know that if there is anyone who can make an incredible life for herself, its you."

"Do you honestly think that?" I can sense a shift in her energy, as though she is daring to let herself believe again.

"I've always known that, Jackie. Come on, man. You've got to know that too."

Whereas before Jackie wouldn't meet my eyes, now she holds them fixed, as if searching them for any sign of dishonesty. And my shades could be damned, because I knew Jackie had no trouble seeing right through them at this point.

After what feels like eternity, she reaches her arms around the back of my head and buries her head in my neck, thus breaking her intense stare down.

"Thank you for believing in me, Steven," she says and I can feel her warm breath against my neck. I am unable to say anything, but I do return her hug just as fiercely.

I wait for her to break the hug. "Come on, Jackie. Let's go back to the game," I wrap my arm around her shoulder and I feel her slump against me.

"My hands are freezing." She lifts them up in front of us.

I can't stop the grin that creeps onto my face. "I can take care of that," and then I pull her hands into mine.

We make it back to our seats at the same time that Fez does. I look around for Kelso but don't see him anywhere. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hyde, we need help," Fez finally admits. "This whole ticket thing is like calculus to us. Okay, Kelso is outside with two ticket stubs."

"What?" I lament tiredly. Next to me Jackie chuckles softly. "How did you get in?"

"Oh, there's a hole in the fence," Fez enlightens us with this crucial piece of information.

This time Jackie genuinely laughs out loud, and I'd be tempted to join her had I not been dealing with the stupid twins all day.

"Come on." I process this as I stand and join Fez. "Jackie, you coming?"

She shrugs. "Might as well. This'll be more interesting than football."

We follow Fez out of the stadium and into the crowd beyond. He leads us down past the bathrooms and the snack bars, the ice cream stand where we see Donna buying a cone and then Fez stops at the gift shop.

"Right here," he says, and peers around the back corner of the store.

Jackie and I discreetly look around with him and find a door, held slightly ajar with a stone. And lo and behold, right outside that door is a fence with a giant gaping hole in it.

"Now Fez." I prepare to give him explicit directions. "Go out and get Kelso. Then have him give you _one_ ticket stub while he holds the other. Then both of you go through the entrance together. Understood? We'll wait for you there."

I debated telling him to get Kelso and have them both climb through the hole, but I didn't trust Kelso not to get caught in the process. If Fez couldn't understand these directions, then frankly neither one of them belonged in here.

"You got it amigo." Fez salutes then slips out the door and ducks through the hole.

"Let's go see if these idiots can figure it out now," I tell Jackie.

"What are you guys doing?" Donna asks as we pass her again. She has her cone now and is handing some change to the guy behind the counter.

"Come see for yourself," Jackie says.

Donna contemplates for a moment and then shrugs. "Okay."

We find our way to the entrance and together the three of us wait for the idiots. The entrance is near to our seats, and I hear a commotion after a few moments. I'm dying to know what happened, but then Fez and Kelso finally show up in the line outside, and I have to stay to make sure they don't do anything stupid.

And surprise of all surprises, they both pass through the gates, each one of them holding a ticket stub.

"I'd say I'm impressed, but I'm really not." Jackie shakes her head disdainfully at the two of them.

"All right, let's just go back to the game." I take Jackie's hand and am about to pull her back inside when the commotion I'd heard before reaches us.

It's Forman.

And he's flailing and writhing desperately and hopelessly as two security guards carry him outside. Following behind them is a beaming Red.

"Time to go kids," he says cheerily when he sees the rest of us.

"But…but Fez and I just got in," Kelso whines.

"Too bad. We're leaving." He's still grinning.

"Okay, what just happened?" I put the question out there.

"I'll tell you all in the car," Red chuckles. And then to himself, "Although you probably won't believe me…"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

If you've ever lived in Wisconsin, you'd understand the torture of having to step out of a toasty warm car into the biting cold winter. Even when that car is packed tight with people, and especially when you're cocooned by your boyfriend and his cozy jacket.

So when we get back to the Forman's, I linger in the car a bit longer than everyone else. I hear Red anxiously pull Eric in the house to tell Kitty about their day. I hear Eric mutter something about Spiderman. I hear Donna make plans with Fez and Kelso to go see a movie. Then when I know Steven is the only one left I finally push open the door and let the exhausting chill wash over me.

"Want to hang out in the basement?" Steven suggests once I've finally closed the door. (1)

I face him and give him a sad smile. "You know I can't," I barely whisper. Steven nods resigned, but says nothing. "I need to find a job, I need to start to pack all my stuff…and I have a history paper due Monday." I remember the paper suddenly and groan internally.

"Well this sucks," he says, and I feel the corners of my lips pull up into another sad smile. Because the way he said those words…it's like he finally understood that things were changing, and no matter how hard we tried to stay the same, the current would pull us along anyways. "You need help with anything? I mean, I can't help you with your paper but I can drive you around, or…" His voice fades, as though trying to think of what else he could do.

And the gesture is sweet, but unnecessary, so I stop he before he can continue. "Nah, I think I need to walk. It'll help me think," I reflect on today. "You know, all day I thought that not thinking was the solution, but now I realize that that's exactly what I need to start doing. Thinking."

Steven nods his head emphatically, and I know he gets it. "Come over later, then?"

Now I smile widely, a genuinely happy smile. Because even after everything, he needs me just as much as I need him. "Of course." I walk up and squeeze him tight. "Later." I pull away from him and his warmth and then start down the driveway.

There's no ice, thanks to Mr. Forman's well-treated (perhaps _too_ well-treated driveway), but still, even with my quick pace, I've only made it just past Donna's house before someone catches up to me. But it was probably because he was driving a car.

"Jackie," he says, rolling down the window. I stop and turn to face him. "I need to talk to you."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~RED FORMAN~

Nothing could ruin my good mood, even though it turned out that Eric learned his fighting moves from one of his dumbass comic book heroes.

"I had to ask," I mutter as I follow him inside.

Kitty is in the kitchen preparing dinner, but I pull her into the living room where Eric has already made himself comfortable on the couch, looking as smug as only a Bears-jersey-wearing dumbass could.

"Kitty, you'll never believe what happened at the game. Eric got into a fight and actually managed to take the guy down." I grin.

"Dad, you sound surprised." Eric turns to look at us, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Yeah, so?" I shrug, then continue my story. "And it actually took two security guards to break them apart and carry Eric out of the stadium."

Instead of looking thrilled as I expected her to, Kitty looks absolutely horrified. "Why did you get into a fight?"

"Because the dumbass is wearing a Bears jersey!" I gesticulate exaggeratedly towards our son, who was still currently wearing said jersey.

"Yeah, mom. They guy made me sit on _nachos_." He emphasizes the word 'nachos'. "I mean, he had it coming."

Kitty glares back and forth between us, unimpressed. Then, after a long, pregnant pause, she crosses her arms and says in a deep voice, "Do you mean to tell me that there is nacho cheese on your pants?"

Eric wrings his hands together nervously. "I mean, well…yeah."

"And you sat on my couch?" Her voice rises an entire octave.

"Well – "

"Out!" she says with such finality that neither Eric nor I think to say anything. Instead she leads him out through the kitchen into the driveway.

I chuckle to myself, knowing it couldn't get much better than this. I reach into the fridge for a beer just as Steven walks in the door.

"Man, Forman's really getting it out there." He shakes his head ruefully.

"Yeah…what a great day," I reflect.

But in the processes of reflecting on the day, I remember how when Eric got into the fight, none of his friends were around. They had all disappeared to do something. And I remember that Steven had gone to comfort his girlfriend. Which reminds me of something else.

"Steven, where's Jackie?" I say suddenly, all the laughter fading from my voice. He must hear it too because he just asks why. "I need to talk to her," I say vaguely.

"Uh…she's walking home, I think," he says slowly, still trying to decipher what exactly was going on.

"I'll be back," I set my unopened beer on the counter, grab my keys and disappear out the door before Steven has time to ask another question.

I climb into my Toyota and turn out of the driveway, only to discover that Jackie hasn't even made it past the Pinciotti's house yet.

"Jackie," I call for her attention as I pull up next to her and unroll the window. She stops and turns to me. "I need to talk to you."

"Mr. Forman?" she asks surprised.

I cut to the chase. "Remember when I fired Steven from the muffler shop so he could go work for his father?"

"Um, yeah I guess." She shoves her hands deep in her pockets and begins to rock on her heels.

Sensing she is cold I tell her to get in the car. She doesn't hesitate for one second, and once she's settled in the passenger seat, I continue.

"Well, I never hired anyone else after him," I explain. She narrows her eyes slightly and I can sense that she doesn't quite understand yet.

I sigh. The things that I did for these kids.

"Jackie. Seeing as how you know your way around a car better than the rest of my son's dumbass friends…well, I figured _you_ were the best person for the job," I say uncomfortably.

A beat later her narrowed eyes turn wide, and an audible gasp escapes her throat as a warm look crosses her face.

"You know I need a job and are willing to help me out?" she asks.

"No, no." I clear my throat uneasily. "I just need help at the muffler shop is all." Never would I admit to helping these kids, especially since she wasn't even my own.

Leaving me no time to react, Jackie pulls me into a giant bear hug. "Thank you, Mr. Forman," she murmurs.

"Yeah, well," I grouse in response as she pulls away. "I'll see you at the shop at eight AM tomorrow morning. Not a minute later. You hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" she shakes her head emphatically.

Then in a hurried frenzy, she flies out the car and back in the direction of _my_ house. And although I'd never admit it to anyone, and never even quite to myself, seeing her happy, unharnessed energy reminds me of exactly why I do what I do for these kids.

* * *

Footnotes:

1 – In the actual episode, Hyde says: "I guess before we'd just kind of, uh…hang out, you know?" I couldn't use this actual line because in this episode they were still broken up, whereas in my story, they are still together. But I wanted to include something similar to this line because I think it says a lot about their relationship. To me, at least, it says that Jackie and Hyde simply enjoy each other's company. They don't have to be having grand adventures or life-changing experiences; all they need is each other's company and they're happy. Without ever really seeing much of it, this is the vibe I've always gotten from the relationship (I mean, that's how they started – just hanging out in the basement one summer). And if that's not love, I don't know what is.

* * *

Chapter 5 is based on the episode "It's All Over Now" and will be posted on the day this episode aired: **February 16th**.


	6. It's All Over Now

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter (which was originally supposed to be posted February 16th). I have been going through some personal stuff at home and was not in the right state of mind to keep up with my fanfiction. But, without further ado, I have for you "It's All Over Now." (Please see the author's note at the end of the chapter for how I intend to get these chapter postings back on schedule.)

* * *

~LAURIE FORMAN~

Canada holds great appeal until you're stuck there in the middle of February. The tiny hairs in your nostrils freeze the second you step out the door, and you better hope you're not on the freeway when a snowstorm hits. It is worse than any of the wretched winters I suffered in Wisconsin, and that was what eventually made me force my roommate Jean-Claude to drive me back home.

Even though what waited for me at home sent shivers down my spine, worse than any shiver negative thirty degree weather in Quebec could cause. What awaited me at home were ashamed parents, an obnoxious brother…and a husband.

I feel my gut clench tight when Jean-Claude pulls up my parents' driveway. There's a tear in the leather of the seat cushion, revealing the foam underneath, yellowed with age. I finger at it nervously before finally reaching over to pull open the door handle.

"Merci beacoup, Jean-Claude. Pour toutes les choses." I sigh as I push open the car door. "À tout à l'heure." (1)

"De rien, ma copine." Jean-Claude nods sagely.

I'm overwhelmed with the sudden feeling that Jean-Claude was a lot more serious about this relationship than I was. The whole ride he had been treating my return home as though we were love interests in an old French movie, and it was bordering on creepy at this point.

"Okay, bye then!" I cut back to ubër cheery English in hopes of breaking whatever romanticism he had forced on our situation. Then I swing the door shut – perhaps a little too hard – and start waving overdramatically in attempt to get him to take the hint and leave.

Finally, Jean-Claude waves back, although the look of confusion has not left his face. I don't breathe normally again until his car is long gone.

I let out a heavy breath and turn around to face my parent's house. I inhale a sharp breath, and suddenly have trouble breathing again. Jean-Claude's non-reciprocated feelings for me may officially be a thing of the past. But there was another similar fiend waiting for me here too. In fact, it had been the reason I left in the first place.

I mean, I only slept with Jean-Claude once. It had been a whirlwind decision after having been in Quebec for an entire month without a steady income or a place to stay. He and I had met in a bar. We'd left together alcohol-free and ready to have fun.

It wasn't until the next morning that I'd discovered a bit more about him. See, while I'd been looking just to have fun, he'd seen my story as a cry for help; desperation if you will, and had decided to take me in and give me a place to stay.

That hadn't sat well with me, even from the beginning. For the longest time, the only thing I'd expected from a guy was sex. I'd never seen myself being wholly dependent on one…but seeing as how I actually was desperate, I'd conceded to his offer while promising myself that it would only be until I could get on my own two feet.

And it wasn't like Jean-Claude was a bad person. He never pressured me into anything and always offered to help by whatever means he could. But I could never return to him all that he had done for me. I couldn't do that for any guy, really. I didn't have the means. That's why being dependent on myself was always of major concern with me. The less I owed to other people, the better.

Certain people, like my mother, had told me that this was a pretty desolate way to live. But to me, it was better than the alternative.

Except now here, in this sleepy little town, I was bound to another man by contract; a vice around my throat, a fist clutching my insides tightly as a fear worse than any other harnessed me down: the loss of my independence.

o-o-o

"Mommy. Daddy. I'm home…again!" I announce as I barrel through the door into the living room where I find them watching television.

They turn, wide-eyed, to where I'm standing behind Daddy's green chair. "How was Canada?" My mother clips her words, unimpressed.

"Cold," is the only word that comes to mind. I shrug. "I figured it was time to come home."

"Now. In the middle of February. Not for Christmas or New Years?" My mother is using her passive-aggressive tone now, and I try not to roll my eyes.

My relationship with my parents was the same with all the guys I've been with in that they've always expected more from me than I could give. My parents wanted me to be that dutiful daughter who came home for every holiday and called every night. But at the same time, my parents were the only ones I was ever comfortable being dependent on. With them, it was always about helping me to get back on my feet. With every guy I've been with (with the exception of Kelso who was dependent on _me_ to the point of exhaustion) it was always about making me more reliant on them.

My parents always believed more of me and I'd never tell them, but it was because of their selfless support that I always came back. That I came back this time, despite the foreign man who could be in this house right now.

Without another word, I make a mad dash for the stairs and lock myself in my room. I feel my breathing turn shallow again as the next thought pierces through my head.

The only thing I knew was that I didn't know anything.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"Well, what about that whole beauty school thing?" Mr. Forman says into the phone. I cannot help but eavesdrop from where I'm standing at the other end of the shop.

"Kitty, I don't know anything about hair." Mr. Forman groans, pulling up a chair.

I can tell this might take a while, so I take the initiative and start putting away the tools we had used today. Business had been tough lately, but today we'd replaced mufflers in three different cars and our equipment was everywhere.

In the few weeks I'd been working for Red, I'd learned more about cars than I had ever known before. When the shop was quiet, Red would teach me not only about mufflers, but about anything and everything involving cars. I thought I'd known a lot before, but I had been fooling myself until now.

Today, Red had let me change one of the mufflers all on my own.

I'm careful to avoid touching my face as I put away the greasy tools. I'd learned the hard way that the grease was difficult to clean from my face, and I was going to meet my friends at The Hub after Red and I closed shop.

"Laurie is an adult, Kitty…yes of course she'll always be our baby girl, but she needs to learn some responsibility."

I've finished putting everything away, and now I'm leaning against the counter, one foot on one of the car dollies, rolling it back and forth, back and forth, as I mull over what Red just said.

Was Laurie back again? Nobody could quite tell when exactly it was when she had left last time, since she spent such little time at home. I wonder what made her come back this time.

"If she wants to live in our house, she needs to find a job and that's just the way it is," Mr. Forman says now, a note of finality lacing his voice. "Yes. I'll talk to her when I get home. Bye."

Red hangs up the phone and turns to me. "Ready to go, kid?" He hops off the stool and grabs the keys from the drawer beneath the register.

"Is Laurie back?" I can't help but ask. Gossip was my thing, and if Laurie was back…I needed to let everyone know. Mr. Forman nods, almost imperceptibly. "Where'd she go?"

"Canada," he says bluntly, locking the door behind us. "Okay, Jackie. Remember, the shop is closed tomorrow so don't come in."

"Got it," I say, quickly transitioning with his topic change. I'd gotten all the information I'd needed. "See you later, Mr. Forman."

He grunts his goodbye, and then I'm in my car and on my way home.

I was already late to The Hub, but I'd made a vow to never show my face in public in my work uniform. It was a navy blue jumpsuit like Red's, complete with the white patch reading 'Jackie' in red cursive. And every day after work, the first thing I did was go home to change, scrub my hands, and face if need be, before I dared show my face in public. Especially to my friends.

The only one I had ever let see me like this was Steven. Everyone else I knew would tease me endlessly. _Aren't you worried you're going to break a nail? Oh my God, Jackie, is that grease on your elbows?_ And the only reason I even let Steven see me was because he'd seen me like this once before, years ago, and hadn't said anything then. (2) So, when I was working, only he was ever allowed in the shop, and surprisingly, the rest of our friends respected my privacy and stayed out when I was there.

When I get home I discover that I'd done a decent job of keeping my face clean today, but I still scrub until my skin turns red with agitation. Then I change into a warm turtleneck sweater with a matching tan jacket and dark wash jeans, comb through my hair, add a touch of make-up, and race to meet my friends at The Hub before they leave.

Today, Donna was bringing the new intern from her radio station, Sarah, to The Hub, in hopes of helping her make some friends. Well, at least that's what she told the guys. She'd told me that Sarah was a bitch and didn't know a single thing about music and had basically invited herself to hang out with our friends.

But when I arrive at The Hub, I see only my friends and nobody I don't recognize sitting with them. I pull up a chair next to Donna.

"Where's Sarah?" I ask.

"Bathroom," she mumbles, crossing her arms.

No one says anything, so I sit back in my chair, biting my tongue. But I can't keep anything in for long, and before I know it, I'm spilling the beans.

"Well, guess what I found out? Mr. Forman told me that Laurie is back home."

"Laurie is back? My wife is back?" Fez says so fast I barely understand him.

I whip my head in his direction. Suddenly I'm glad that I let the cat out of the bag. This way Fez would know and wouldn't be blind-sighted later on when the two inevitably crossed paths.

"I wonder where she went this time," Eric mutters to himself, but I have the answer anyways.

"Canada," I blurt.

Everyone is silent for a moment, and that's when someone walks out of the bathroom and up to our table, someone who I presume to be Sarah.

"You guys, while I was in the bathroom I realized I totally forgot to wear a bra today!" She pulls on the top of her low-cut, snugly fit t-shirt.

I immediately roll my eyes. Yep. That is definitely Sarah.

Then in unison, all the guys drone out an 'I love you.' I spin in my chair and kick Steven in the shins. He looks at me and winks. I roll my eyes again.

Then I exchange looks with Donna. Her expression is pained and she is leaning as far away from Sarah as possible. I can see the need to vent in her tightly pressed lips. And I know we'll be talking later.

o-o-o

We all leave The Hub soon after that. My friends all came in the Vista Cruiser, and Sarah has her own car. Donna has to go to the radio station, and I offer to give her a ride so she doesn't have to ride with Sarah.

"Jackie, thank you so much," she says immediately after she closes the door.

Together we watch as Sarah pulls out in her car, then our friends in the Cruiser.

"She that bad, huh?" I sympathize.

"You have no idea. You may have bad taste in music, but at least you know music. Sarah doesn't know anything and she works for the radio!"

I'm not sure what to say to that, but she continues anyway, so I let her talk while I drive to the station. Tomorrow Tom Jones was going to be doing a signing at Grooves, and WFPP was having Donna host a live remote at the store during the event and she needed to go down there now to pick up some things for it.

"And she totally sets the women's rights movement back fifty years. All she does is flaunt her body around and is constantly demeaning women who don't want to be exactly like her."

"So…she's a slut?"

"Well. I don't want to call her that. I don't have a clue – and don't want to have a clue – about her sex life. But she's a bitch because she believes that intelligent women are a waste, basically," Donna explains.

I hold back a sneer. I maybe wasn't so involved in the feminist movement like Donna was, but as a woman about to go to college on a four year academic scholarship, I am offended by this girl's attitude.

"We're here," I say instead as I turn into the parking lot. "And thankfully, I don't see Sarah's tacky car anywhere, so, you're in the clear."

"Great. You coming in?" Donna asks as I park the car.

"Sure. Why not?"

I don't think I'd ever actually been inside Donna's place of work before, which was strange considering how long she has been working here now. Donna shows me where her desk is. It's neat and organized (unlike Steven's) and full of records (very much like Steven's). Then she shows me the booth where she does her show and then we run into Mr. Randall, the man in charge of Donna's live remote tomorrow.

"Donna, I'm glad to see you," he says when he finds us. "There's been a slight change to your show tomorrow. We've decided to add this." He passes her a small paper bag.

Donna peers inside, then snaps her head up and glares at him. "You expect me to wear this?" She lifts the bag up.

"Yes!" Mr. Randall says excitedly. "We thought it would help draw in more listeners if they see you wearing a bikini on a billboard."

A bikini? Now I understood where Donna's rage was coming from. I watch as she slowly schools her face into an expression of neutrality then gestures for me to follow.

"Okay. Just be back for the photo shoot!" Mr. Randall calls at our receding figures.

I don't dare say anything until we're back inside the car. "Wait. What just happened?"

"I'll explain later. Let's just go the basement," Donna broods.

o-o-o

When we arrive in the basement a little while later, I half expect to find Laurie down there, bickering with Fez like she'd never even left. Instead I find Eric, Michael and Fez quietly watching TV.

"Where's Steven?" I ask to no one in particular as I pass in front of the TV to sit in his chair.

"He's getting ready to go to the record store. He and Angie have to prepare for Tom Jones tomorrow," Eric deadpans without once removing his gaze from the television.

"You guys want to hear something sick?" Donna speaks up. I focus my attention on her. She's holding that paper bag at arm's length, as though simply being in its presence repulses her.

"Ooh, yes. Please hurry." Fez eagerly turns in her direction.

"Mr. Randall down at the radio station wants me to host a live remote from Hyde's record store when Tom Jones is there. And to promote it, they want to put me on a billboard wearing this." And then she pulls out a skimpy rainbow-colored bikini top that appears to be two sizes too small for her.

Now Eric snaps his attention away from the TV. In fact, all the guys do.

"That's just good radio," Eric says, teasingly.

"Well, I'm not wearing it," Donna says, fed up. "I should be valued for my voice and music knowledge. Not my body. No matter how smokin' it is."

Michael, who is of course reading a Playboy, uses this opportunity to speak up. "There you go again with your 'women should be valued for their minds' gobbledygook."

I exchange an exhausted look with Donna. Once I would've thought Donna was overreacting. Like, it's just a bikini, so what? But now that I was actually accomplishing things, great things, with my mind over my body, I understood why Donna felt so offended by this situation.

"No, Donna's right," I come out in her defense. "Just valuing women for their looks would be like just valuing men for their cars or foreigners for their ability to sweep."

"Or their ability to drive a taxi," Fez mutters in an undertone. Well, at least I got through to one of them.

Donna continues. "I'm not caving to their smutty demands," she says steadfast. "I am an on-air personality. I am not a sex kitten."

"I agree, Donna." Fez nods his head. "Making you wear that outfit is demeaning to women."

"Well thank you, Fez," Donna says, earnestly surprised.

"But just to be sure, put it on and shake your ass," he teases her.

"All right, all right," Eric says. "Drop it Fez. Are you coming to the record store with me and Kelso?"

With that both Eric and Michael get up and start heading toward the door.

"Yeah. Angie and I are planning a little prank on Hyde." Michael smiles idiotically.

"Hmm, while tempting, I think I'll stay here in case Donna decides to put on that bathing suit." Fez resigns himself to the couch.

Donna shakes her head, annoyed. "Come on, Jackie. Let's go."

I get up and follow her lead, and the basement clears out. All except for Fez.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

Forman was giggling like a thirteen year old girl, and Angie and Kelso were taking way too long in the back office setting up the cardboard stand for Tom Jones. Plus, there were a bunch of kids weaving through the Styx albums, which in and of itself was annoying.

Forman lets out another titter, so I march up to him and flip the headphones off his head.

"Would you please quit giggling?" I say to his childish expression.

"Sorry, man. I'm listening to George Carlin's 'Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on Radio and Television.'" Then he starts that obnoxious snickering again. "Man, he just keeps saying 'em over and over again."

Forman pulls the headphones back on and somehow manages to laugh even louder than before.

Giving up on him, I see Angie finally come out of the office with the Tom Jones stand. I head in her direction.

"Okay. Tom Jones is booked and everything is set," she says to me as she proudly places her stand next to the door. "You know, I don't think there's anything more exciting than a promotional event gone right."

I can practically feel the scowl form on my face. "Then you need to get drunk and ride a mechanical bull."

Angie narrows her eyes at me. "You know. You're being more of a tool than usual." She takes a step towards me. "Is everything okay with Jackie?" she wheedles.

I'm momentarily stumped. It wasn't that there was really anything w _rong_ with me and Jackie, but if I was being honest with myself then I was slightly bothered by the fact that it seemed like Jackie only wanted me to live with her because she couldn't afford to live without a roommate.

But I hadn't really admitted that to myself yet, so it set me on edge that Angie could figure that out. Had anybody else?

"No. Angie, we're fine," I grunt in response.

Angie raises her eyebrows, looking skeptical. But before I can defend myself to her, Forman starts giggling again. Then Kelso comes out and starts jabbering about his and Angie's sex life again. Just another day. Another long day.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

Despite the fact that both Steven and Donna were at the record store today for the event, I find myself sitting alone in the basement, not really wanting to be bombarded by a bunch of middle-aged, Tom Jones loving women.

I'm on the verge of falling asleep to an episode of _Bewitched_ when Fez bursts through the door behind me.

"Jackie, I need your advice." He throws himself into the lawn chair.

I'm suddenly alert and pull myself into a more upright position. "What?"

"Laurie is upstairs," he pants.

"And?"

"And Laurie is upstairs."

I pull the sleeves of my sweater down over my hands and contemplate this. As someone who was once the victim of Laurie's antics (albeit in a _very_ different way), I felt the need to help her latest victim: Fez.

But…what exactly did Fez want? I hadn't paid very close attention to their marriage. Last I knew, before Laurie left, was that they were putting off their divorce because of wedding gifts.

"I'm sure if you go talk to her you'd find that she is ready to go file the divorce papers," I say finally.

A look flashes across Fez's face so fast that if I hadn't been paying attention, I would have certainly missed. But I did see it, and it looked to be a mix of anxiety and guilt.

"You do want to divorce her, right?" I'm suddenly unsure. I'd taken this fact for granted, but now I realize that maybe it wasn't such a sure thing.

Fez doesn't say anything. "Spill," I tell him.

Fez worries on his bottom lip and avoids eye contact. "I don't know," he admits.

I sit up now, tucking my legs underneath me. "What?" I'm at a loss for words. "I thought…I thought you couldn't stand to be married to her."

"I think we just lost touch," he says sheepishly.

"Oh." I sit back. "So…you had trouble communicating?"

"No. I mean we actually lost touch. After we got married we never had sex again," Fez says, no longer uncomfortable.

I scoot to the far end of the couch. "Okay, gross…" I gag. "And just like a guy to want to get a divorce because of lack of sex."

"No. No, I mean…" Fez inhales a deep breath. I want to tell him to stop; I'd heard _more_ than enough, but he continues. "That night when we went camping, we had such a great time, but then we got married and it was all fake and the magic was gone."

I stare at the television set longingly. Helping Fez with Laurie was a lot more problematic than I'd anticipated.

"So you do want a divorce?" I still don't quite understand where he is going with all this.

"Yes," Fez says bluntly. "But I don't want to lose Laurie." I'm very confused at this point and Fez lets out a strangled groan of exasperation before continuing. "I don't know any other girl who would've done what Laurie did for me so I could stay in the country. And I know she wants a divorce, so I'm willing to give that to her, but I also don't want to give her up." Fez shifts uncomfortably. "I'd like for her to maybe be my girlfriend," he confesses.

"Oh, Fez. That's so sweet." I bring my hand to my heart. Never had I thought that our horny little foreign friend would have such a heart. Especially for cold-hearted Laurie.

"But what do I do?" I can make out the slightest flush in his cheeks.

"Right, right." I focus again. "Back to business."

I think about Fez's predicament. I knew if he went to Laurie, he'd have no problem getting the divorce. And I really had no idea where Laurie's head was at regarding Fez otherwise. She might be okay with a relationship, but I was willing to bet otherwise.

"I think the only thing you can do is try to talk to her," I say gently.

Fez shakes his head minutely. I know he doesn't like it, but it might be his only option. But the next words that come out of his mouth completely throw me off.

"Why aren't you at the record store?" he asks.

I'm momentarily blind sighted. "Excuse me?"

"You know, the record store where your boyfriend works and is having an event today?"

I face forward to watch the television, not exactly thrilled with Fez's topic change. "I didn't feel like going."

"Oh, puh-lease," Fez says, not buying it. "When you're not working, and Hyde is, you're always there with him. Plus today Donna is going to be there as well. So I repeat: Why aren't you at the record store?"

"There's going to be a bunch of middle-aged women there. No one wants to deal with that," I tell Fez.

I watch him closely. He nods his head as though this makes sense. "Okay. But why don't you tell me the real reason you're not there?"

"There _is_ no other reason," I attempt.

"Jackie, you tried helping me, now it's my turn to help you." He nods resolutely.

"But Fez – "

"I said its my turn to help you." He holds up his hand to stop me.

"Okay, but you better not say anything to anyone." I decide that maybe it would be good to get someone else's advice. "Mrs. Forman is in charge of the LOPPs Valentine's Day party this weekend, but I'm afraid to ask Steven. I'm afraid he'll say no, and even if he says yes, I'm afraid it'll be like the Christmas party all over again." I hadn't realized I'd been as worried as I was until I say this out loud.

"Shouldn't you have more faith in Hyde by now?" Fez says quietly.

"I thought so, but then at the Christmas party – "

"Yes, Hyde made a mistake. But don't you think he learned his lesson?" Fez continues.

I didn't like that Fez kept asking questions. "I…I don't know."

"I think you owe it to Hyde to give him the benefit of the doubt and ask him," Fez says sagely. "He may just surprise you."

"I don't know if I could handle the rejection if he said no." I'm not convinced.

"Okay, how about this?" Fez leans forward in his chair. "I'll talk to Laurie if you talk to Hyde."

I reach my hand up and clasp my necklace. I rub it nervously as I think about Fez's offer. If he could talk to Laurie, then I could talk to Steven, right?

"Okay." I nod my head resolutely. "Deal."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~ERIC FORMAN~

"I am freakin' pissed." Donna paces back and forth between the couch and the deep freeze in the basement.

We'd arrived to the basement from the radio station minutes ago, an abandoned episode of _Bewitched_ playing on the television, and this was the first thing she'd said since she was fired. And honestly? I was pretty pissed too. Donna had worked hard to get to where she was on the radio by using her prolific music knowledge and speaking skills. And while I could confirm what an incredible body she had as well, her refusing to market that for attention was no reason for her to get fired. I mean, it was the 1970s for crying out loud.

" _Sarah_ puts on a bikini and whammo, she gets me fired?" She says the other girl's name with intense hostility. "That little bimbo set this whole thing up, and I am freakin' pissed!"

Sarah. She was the root cause of this problem. The second Mr. Randall said the word 'fired,' I'd began scheming up ways to help Donna win her job back without losing her integrity. Suddenly it occurs to me that if we were to somehow exploit Sarah's ignorance to the runners of WFPP, we'd have a good start in getting Donna her job back.

"See what happens when you try to skate through life using your brain?" Kelso, who had joined us moments ago, starts up again and I roll my eyes. "For the millionth time people, its all about the looks!" He gestures to himself.

"Well, I refuse to trade on my good looks to achieve success." I shake my head. "Eric Forman don't play that game."

"Well, I'm not going to let her get away with this," Donna pulls our attention back to the real issue. She has wandered over to the lawn chair now and takes a seat. "I need to think of a way to get even."

"All right, you need to do something brilliant." Kelso begins doling advice that will surely be ignored. "That's subtle, but clever. Hit her in the face with a wiffle ball bat."

"Um, I don't think that's exactly what I'm looking for." Donna rolls her eyes, impatient with him.

Advice ignored.

"Okay then, well you've obviously never been hit in the face with a wiffle ball bat," Kelso says defensively.

But I am thinking. Whether its to _exploit_ Sarah like I wanted or get _revenge_ on Sarah like Donna wanted, I was beginning to design a plan that would take care of Sarah once and for all, in hopefully the most ironic way possible.

"Wait a second." I start to think out loud. "Sarah's gonna be broadcasting live from the record store right?" I ask and Donna confirms. Perfect. I can barely conceal my excitement. "Okay, then I got an awesome idea."

"Well, if its hitting her in the face with a wiffle ball bat, you stole that from me," Kelso jumps in again. "So I will seek gratuities," he advises as he rises from the couch. "Now I'm off to see Angie at the record store, so consider yourselves warned."

Kelso disappears out the basement, and then I am eagerly on my feet reaching for my coat near the record player. "Come on, Donna."

Without a word, Donna follows my lead. Somehow I know she trusts me to deliver Sarah her just desserts.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~LAURIE FORMAN~

I wanted to get a job, really. But by Daddy forcing me, it sucked all the fun out of it. Regardless, I spend the whole next day after arriving home either arguing with my parents about finding the right job or flipping through newspaper clippings actually trying to find said job.

It's when I take a break and head downstairs to the kitchen to grab a quick snack that the inevitable occurs. The one thing that I knew I wasn't ready to happen. But as anyone smart enough knows, time waits for no one, and if it doesn't come to bite you in the ass, you're doing something wrong.

Fez ad Jackie walk into the kitchen from the basement.

"Hello Laurie." I hear his voice before I realize he's there.

I slowly pull my head up from the fridge to find him standing before me, Jackie a step behind him. I can't bring myself to say anything.

"I'll just…wait for you outside, Fez," Jackie says after a long moment of deafening quiet.

The soft tap of her shoes breaks the silence spell and I unfreeze. I whip around and watch her walk toward the sliding glass door; an excuse to look anywhere but at Fez.

But mercifully I am then saved by my brother and his girlfriend walking in through the living room, both appearing to be angry and distracted.

"What's wrong?" I say to them in an effort to get the focus off of me.

"Donna just got fired," Eric mutters.

Behind me, Jackie who hasn't made it outside, gasps. "Donna?" She covers her mouth with her hand. I watch her closely. She quickly glances back and forth between Fez and Donna, nervously biting her nail. But then Donna and Eric have disappeared downstairs and she stays with Fez.

"Well, like I said, I'll wait for you outside." Jackie jabs her thumb behind her, then quickly spins and moves outside.

"Hello, Laurie," Fez says again.

I meet his gaze, mustering up as much confidence as I can. "Yeah?"

"I think its time we get divorced," he says nonchalantly, but I can tell he is watching me closely for my reaction.

No longer able to meet his gaze I peer back into the open refrigerator. "Great." And its true, but something about this feels disappointing. "The wedding gifts have stopped so I guess now's as good a time as any."

"Yes, I just have one request," Fez says, his voice taking on an odd, perhaps nervous quality.

This piques my interest. Fez says nothing else, which forces me to look at him again in an effort to get him to continue.

"I'd like to take you out on a date." He gulps.

I immediately feel a snarky retort reach my lips, but before it can spill out the foreign man speaks again.

"Now before you say anything, hear me out." He takes a breath, definitely nervous now, before continuing. "You married me so I could stay in the country. No one else would have ever made that sacrifice for me. Now, I am willing to get divorced, but I feel I owe you a real, honest-to-goodness date, after taking advantage of you like that."

"Fez, believe me, you didn't take advantage of me." I snort, but I feel my façade quickly cracking.

"But I still want to repay you for what you've done for me," Fez repeats.

And there's something about what he's saying that's different. And at first I couldn't understand what that was, but I think now I did. With every guy I've ever been with it had been about what I could do for them. And although it started out that way with Fez, he now wanted to level the playing field, so to speak. He wanted this non-relationship of ours to be with mutual respect and that is what wins me over.

I'm already convinced, but Fez continues.

"And, well, truth be told, I actually do kind of like you, Laurie. And would like to get to know you better." He flushes a dark crimson red, and I can't help but take a step toward him.

"Okay," I whisper.

"Okay?" His spirits immediately brighten, and I am surprised to find myself pleased that I was the one that made him this happy just now.

"Well, how could I refuse that pitch?" I lighten the mood.

No guy had ever really cared about me. Like I said, it was what I could do for them. So what this foreign man was giving me was a gem, and suddenly I feel a heavy weight lift off my chest. Maybe a happy ending could exist, after all.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

The record store is packed and Fez and I have to yell at each other over the crowd simply to be heard. Everywhere I turn, its graying heads and worn out Tom Jones records. I suppress a shiver.

"I don't see him," I yell to where Fez is standing right next to me. I don't have to say who I'm looking for; Fez knows.

"I think Hyde is up front. I see Angie up there." He's craning his neck. Neither of us is very tall, but Fez does have a couple inches on me, clearly dictating him to be the crowd searcher.

It was unbearably cold outside, but inside this claustrophobic mass of humanity I feel I suddenly can't breathe and wrestle with the buttons on my coat until I am free.

"Jackie," says Fez, a warning in his voice. "Stop stalling."

"You know, its really crowded here," I state the obvious. "And Steven is probably really busy, so I think I'll just come back later." I make a mad dash for the door, but only make it one step before Fez grabs my shoulder and yanks me back.

"I held up my end of the deal," Fez informs me. And then that petulant smile he'd been sporting on and off since he spoke with Laurie makes another appearance. "And it went _very_ well. Now let's make it two for two, shall we?"

I groan, but know that I have to hold up my end of the deal. So with one more death glare sent in Fez's direction, I begin weaving myself between all the floral print and tacky perfume towards the front of the store.

Halfway there, I see Steven, along with Angie and Michael frantically speaking to a group of angry women before them. I am immediately concerned for them; what cataclysmic disaster was in the works here?

I push forward anyways, knowing that if I didn't hurry I'd lose my resolve. Steven spots me before I'm entirely free from the crowd and leaves Angie and Michael with the angry women to come see me.

"Steven." I breathe once I reach him, and rest my hand his forearm. "Can I…"

"Jackie, can you help?" He cuts me off, and I can't tell if he has done it on purpose or if he just didn't hear me speaking.

I shift my eyes upward to meet his gaze. There is a slightly anxious look on them, and I am reminded of the angry women he had just been warding off moments ago. Suddenly it occurs to me that there really is utter chaos in here…and no sign of Tom Jones anywhere.

But there is also what appears to be a hardness in his eyes, directed solely at me. I am taken aback, and an illness settles low in my gut.

I push it aside for now, realizing that Steven really has asked for my help.

"Of course," I stutter.

"Perfect. Can you just run the register? If someone asks about Tom, just direct them to me and Angie, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thank you _so_ much," he says, planting a small kiss on my temple. Then he disappears back in the crowd.

What was going on with him? We'd been together long enough, and I'd known him even longer, that I could tell that when he got this way it was because something was making him angry. But he'd rarely admit to being angry, for that would be an open display of emotions. So whatever it was that was making him this way, he didn't want me to know.

I was feeling less and less confident about asking him about the LOPPs Valentine's Day dance.

I force myself to put all this on the backburner though, and throw myself into manning the register. I mostly ring up Tom Jones records for people Mrs. Forman's age, but every once and a while, I ring up some other records for the poor souls who decided to go music shopping today.

To my left Sarah is running _Donna's_ live remote, her obnoxious bimbo voice filling my ears. Eventually, I see Eric and Donna enter the store, and after a long, excruciating haul to the front, they walk over to Sarah and begin what appears to be a congenial discussion. I'm immensely curious to find out what's happening, but I promised Steven I'd run the register, so I keep focused on my task.

And the questions. _Where is Tom Jones? The Tom Jones event is today, correct? Is this the place where that Tom Jones event is occurring?_ I don't have an answer to a single one of them. And as I point out Steven to each person who asks, the large crowd forming around him, Angie and Michael suggests that maybe they don't have the answer either.

After about an hour, Steven breaks free from the crowd and comes up to the register. He opens his mouth to say something, but then all that comes out is an exhausted exhale.

I pull up another stool from behind me and gesture for him to sit. He doesn't argue, and plops down beside me.

There is no one left in line at the register anymore; I'd fielded them all to Steven and Angie.

"Steven, I feel pretty useless up here," I say, gesturing first to the non-existent line in front of the register and then to the crowd over to the right. "Are you sure there is nothing else I can do?"

"There's nothing any of us can do. Tom Jones isn't coming," he says, so quietly I almost miss it.

"What?" I immediately turn to face him.

"He got stuck in a snowstorm. Angie just got the call. Now we have to break the news." He continues speaking in undertones.

"Oh dear," I mutter.

Suddenly Steven looks up at me. There is still that hardness from before, but his expression turns soft. "And trust me, you were not useless." He drapes an arm over my shoulder and we lean back against the wall behind us. "Having someone behind the register gave some semblance of order in this chaos. So thank you, really."

I nod my head in understanding, but don't say anything. Steven doesn't move to go back and help Angie and Michael. He just keeps his arm resting over my shoulder. So I reach my arm around his torso and pull him closer.

To our right the crowd is getting louder by the minute. Fez has joined Angie and Michael in fighting off the mob. To our left, Sarah is now in a heated argument with Mr. Radall, and I spot Eric and Donna snickering in a distant corner.

And yet there seems to be a soundproof wall around me and Steven, making us invisible to all the pandemonium around us as it all fades to white noise and I hear Steven speak. "Hey, um, Jackie. Was there something you wanted to say before?"

I pull out of our embrace, leaving the right side of my body cold, already missing his.

"No," I say immediately.

"Jackie." Steven sits up as well, not believing me.

"Okay, yes," I admit.

"So?"

"Its just, I…I well…never mind," I resign.

"Jackie, please?" Steven asks. There is no pleading note to his voice, but I do sense hurt, as though he is genuinely upset that I won't talk to him.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the LOPPs Valentine's Day party with me this weekend," I blurt.

I turn my head away, no sure what kind of answer to expect, and of course, Steven surprises me again. "Of course," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, really?" My head snaps up. "You want to go with me?"

Steven gives me a look that tells me I'm being unreasonable. "Yes, Jackie. I do." He takes my wrist and gently tugs me back toward him.

And of course, Fez was right. I should give Steven more credit. He deserved nothing less.

"I'm sorry," I whisper as he pulls my face toward his.

"For what?" Steven draws his gaze up from my mouth to my eyes.

He is so close that I can make out the small flecks of gray in his blue eyes, even with his shades on. "For being irrational. I should have just asked you instead of assuming you'd say no."

"Jackie, _I'm_ sorry, okay? It's my fault you felt that way. But I do want to go with you. All right?" Steven searches my gaze.

I nod my head, and then Steven closes the rest of the distance. And even though we're in a very public place, and he wasn't really someone who showed PDA, he kisses me in a way that makes me dizzy, and I have to latch my hands to his wrists to keep from toppling off of my stool.

Then he pulls his mouth away from mine, but he doesn't move his face away. I realize a beat later that he's waiting for an answer.

I smile then give him a small peck on the nose. "All right."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

It takes a good hour and a half, but after announcing to the disappointed mob of women (and apparently Bob) that Tom Jones was not, in fact, coming, we are able to clear out the record store for the night.

Kelso gives Angie and Fez rides home, promising to come to the basement later. Jackie was coming back to the Forman's for dinner tonight, plus her car was there, so we wave goodnight to them before parting ways.

Back at the Forman's, Jackie and I are treated to front row seats of Red buckling under the pressure when he tries to explain to his wife who exactly signed the Tom Jones autograph when Bob accidentally lets its slip that Tom Jones never showed.

"I can't lie to you," Red says, and we all turn our undivided attention to him. Even Jackie stops chewing. "It was Julio Iglesias."

Mrs. Forman gives Red a look I know all too well. I clear my throat. "Come on, Jackie. Grab your dish. This could get ugly."

We both grab our plates, and Jackie follows me to the basement. As soon as she has shut the door to the kitchen we hear the yelling begin.

"Uh oh." Jackie makes a face as we carefully descend the stairs.

"Well, if you'd have hit somebody in the face with a wiffle ball bat, this would have been over hours ago." Kelso's voice floats up from below. Jackie and I pause our descent and exchange confused looks.

"Okay, not only did I get my job back," Donna's voice follows, "but I had conditions. I told Mr. Randall I'd be fully clothed at all times, and he said okay. I told him to stop demeaning women, and he said okay. And I told him to respect me for my mind and my ideas and not my looks, and he said okay."

Donna hasn't even finished her soliloquy when Jackie flies down the remaining steps, drops off her dish on the dryer and come up behind Donna to pull her into a surprise bear hug.

"Oh, thank God, Donna," she squeals. I take a seat in my chair just in time to catch Donna's alarmed expression, which softens after she realizes its Jackie. "When Eric said that you got fired this afternoon I was so worried about you."

"Everything's all right again, Jackie," Donna reassures her friend, laughing lightheartedly. "And Sarah got fired, don't worry."

Jackie nods solemnly, but she is grinning like an idiot. She grabs her dish, then cautiously props herself on the very edge of my knee, conscious of both her food and mine as she does so.

"So do you want people to stop calling you 'Hot Donna'?" Forman asks his girlfriend.

"No." Donna flashes a small grin. "That makes me feel pretty." She shrugs.

"Amen to that," Jackie says between mouthfuls.

"So, uh Hyde. Do you think you'll get Tom Jones to come eventually?" Forman switches topics.

"I don't know, man." I finish eating and set my plate on the side table. "That's WB's department."

"Just hit someone with a wiffle ball bat," Kelso nods seriously. "That'll get the job done."

"What?" Jackie and I say in unison.

"No, Kelso. No one is getting hit, got it?" Donna scolds him.

"Come on, I want to see someone get hit," Kelso whines childishly. "Where's Fez when you need him?"

"Oh, speaking of Fez." Jackie sets down her plate then leans back against me, draping her arm behind my head. "He and Laurie are getting divorced."

"Thank God." Forman pulls his hands together in prayer.

"Yeah, and they're going to start dating instead," Jackie concludes.

Well, that was a surprise. But I don't say anything, I just sit back and pretend to listen as our friends gossip about our other friends. But all I can focus on is Jackie's hand absentmindedly weaving through my hair.

o-o-o

I'm not sure how long has passed, but eventually everyone has left the basement for the night except for Jackie and the two of us are half-asleep on the couch with just the incessant flickering of the television light keeping us awake.

"I should get going." Jackie sits up and stretches her arms. "See you tomorrow, Steven." She leans close and kisses me softly. Her face is warm with exhaustion, and I am abruptly filled with nostalgia for something I've never even had.

Jackie disappears out of the basement, and suddenly the television light is harsh and unforgiving, so I quickly turn it off and shuffle into my room.

I was still feeling slightly unsettled about Jackie's motives about living together. For so long I thought she'd really just wanted for her and I to live together. But after she started working for Red, her complaints about living alone had stopped cold turkey, {so thoughts were starting to invade my mind, destructive thoughts like the idea that Jackie just needed me to move in to help pay rent.}

So as I fall into my cot and into sleep, my last conscious thoughts consist of this: 1. It didn't have to be like this, sleeping alone at night in a dank basement. 2. But now it was too late. And 3. It was my own damn fault.

* * *

Footnotes:

1 – Part of what I want to do with Laurie is add depth to her character. So, although Laurie maybe wasn't very successful in school, I think she would be quick to learn in real life (i.e., book smart vs. street smart). So when the show mentioned she was in Canada, I quickly jumped on the idea of her being in the French-speaking province of Quebec, and thought her picking up some French would be interesting for her. And if you don't want to look it up, she says: "Thank you so much, Jean Claude. For everything." And "Later."

2 – Jackie is talking about "Career Day" (episode 1.18). I manage to work in this episode into almost all my fics because I feel that this would be an excellent and interesting aspect of Jackie.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The next chapter, "On With the Show", was originally supposed to be posted on the day this episode aired, February 23rd, but due to personal reasons, I was unable to post it on time. In order to get back on schedule, I will be posting this chapter later today, **March 7th**.

The following chapter, "Down the Road Apiece", was originally supposed to be posted on the day this episode aired, March 2nd, and to get back on schedule, I will be posting this chapter tomorrow, **March 8th**.

The following chapter, "Oh, Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin')", will be posted on the day this episode aired, **March 9th**. Then I will be back on schedule (with only a few more chapters to go!).

Thanks to all my readers for your patience and understanding!


	7. On With the Show

~JACKIE BURKHART~

Today, I was going to start furnishing my apartment. Sure, it was two small objects that I could carry in my arms while simultaneously fitting the key into the lock, but it was two small objects closer to a fully furnished apartment.

I push open the door and stare at the empty room before me. Today, I would start to make this place mine. I walk over and set down the first object on the counter separating the living room from the kitchen.

At the LOPP's Valentine's Day party a few weeks ago, there had been a photo booth machine which I practically had to drag Steven into. Mrs. Forman had somehow snuck my copy of pictures out from underneath me and got it framed as a gift before I even knew it had disappeared.

I admire the frame for a moment. She had somehow managed to find a frame that would perfectly fit the strip of four pictures. When I had opened the small box to find it, she'd told me how it might not be much, but it would be something that made me smile every day in my own apartment.

And she was right, just looking at the pictures now sends my cheeks upward in a smile as I think back to the party. Steven had blatantly refused to go in the photo booth. I knew he hated having his picture taken, but I wanted to be that cute couple (like Donna and Eric) who go in there and make cute faces at each other and laugh perfectly in time with the camera. And despite all his refusal, he didn't show any physical restraint other than dragging his feet when I finally grabbed his arm and hauled him into the photo booth.

In the first picture, Steven isn't even looking at the camera. His expression is blank behind his shades as he watches me, instead, smiling at the camera. In the second picture (which was not timed right at _all_ ) I'm wrestling to get his shades off as Steven attempts to pry my hands away from his face. By the third picture I have successfully removed his shades and put them on my face. I'm sticking my tongue out at him, and his mouth is open and I can still hear him groaning "Jackie!" right as the shutter went off. And that's when I panicked. I knew then that the first three pictures were going to be a disaster, so in attempt to salvage at least one good picture from my twenty-five cents, I remember tearing off his shades, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss, just in time for the last flash of the camera. Then I handed him back his shades, ripped open the curtain and was pleased to find that at least the fourth picture came out all right.

It was by no means the photo booth experience I had always imagined before. But now as I reflect on that night and the four tiny photos sitting framed before me, I realize that this first little object in my apartment described my relationship with Steven better than anything else, and that is what makes me smile the most.

The second object is a Welcome mat that I had picked up from the Price Mart in Racine on my way here. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do; buy the first object for my apartment today, now that I had a steady income.

Working for Red has provided with a basic income that has helped me get on my feet. But before coming to my apartment today, I had stopped by Marquette to sign the official paperwork for the paid internship I would do over the course of my freshman year. I was by no means the rich girl that I used to be with my parents. But the thought of having a little spending money for the first time in a _long_ time sent me rushing to the nearest store to buy something for my apartment and thus quench that need to spend.

I set the Welcome mat at front of the door on my way out. I am suddenly overcome with the need to tell Steven and all my friends the amazing news of my internship. And then maybe go spend more money.

o-o-o

Steven, Donna, Michael, Fez and Angie are all in the basement when I arrive that afternoon. I'm not sure where Eric is, but I'm sure once I share my amazing news it will spread like wildfire and he'll find out soon enough.

"This gang?" Donna is saying. I let her finish as I pull off my coat then quietly join Steven on the other side of the room. "Angie, the only reason this gang formed was because no one would let us into their gang."

I want to interrupt and say that wasn't true; everybody wanted _me_ in their gang, I simply chose this one. But then I realize that said more about me then it did about them, so I keep my mouth shut.

"We're like the chess club," Donna makes a comparison. "But better looking, and…dumber," she concludes.

I wait half a beat and when nobody says anything else I jump up. "Great, anyways. You guys, I have huge news," everyone turns to me, mildly curious. I mentally remind myself to slap them all later for their lack of enthusiasm. "You know how Point Place cable has that public access channel?"

"Yeah," Michael sits up in the lawn chair. Finally, someone is properly enthused. "Donna, didn't your dad do, like, a belly dancing show there?"

"Ugh," I groan, falling back into Steven's lap defeated.

"He…guest-hosted. Shut up." Donna dismisses Michael and turns to look at me pleadingly.

I sit up again. "Anyways, I'm gonna have my own show! Just like Mary Tyler Moore. Oh, except, I won't stop for commercials 'cause no one really wants to take a break from me," I say as I get lost in thought.

I am imagining thousands of people cheering and clapping while they see me smiling on their screen, bringing color to their dull, gray lives, when Steven clears his throat and breaks me from my reverie.

"Wait, Jackie doesn't that kind of thing cost money? Don't you have to buy your time slot or something?" Steven asks.

I lean back and wrap an arm behind his neck. "No, that's the best part," I address the whole group. "It's a paid internship for school!"

"What?" Donna exclaims.

"Yeah!" I cannot hold back my excitement. "Since I am both a Communications Major and currently reside in Point Place, my school advisor called me as soon as Point Place Cable decided to offer one of Marquette's students an internship."

"And you got it?" Steven asks.

"Uh huh," I nod. "It was first come first serve for incoming freshmen, and since my advisor called me about it right away, I had the interview today, and then they offered me the internship!"

"Congrats, Jackie," Angie stands. "I really enjoyed all the internships I did in college."

"Thanks, Angie!" I say, touched.

She smiles. "Now, I hate to take your boyfriend away from you, but he and I are running late to open the record store."

"Oh, right. Weren't we supposed to open this morning?" Steven starts to sit up, so I get off his lap.

"Yep," Angie reaches for her coat.

"Steven, its three o'clock," I glance at my watch.

"Yeah," he says slowly as he stands up, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair. Then he shrugs and turns to face me. He wraps his free arm around the small of my back, kissing me once softly on the lips, then the cheek before he leans into my ear. "Proud of you," he whispers slowly. And with that I immediately feel my heart flutter and a blush rise to my cheeks.

I don't think I realized how nervous I was about Steven's reaction. My advisor had called me a week ago, and I never told Steven, not once, because I didn't want to tell him and then not get the internship. But now I realize I was afraid he'd be angry for me not telling him out of trust, like when I kept Marquette and the apartment from him.

When Steven pulls away from me and follows Angie out of the basement, I immediately see Donna watching me closely. And I can't describe the look on her face, but its as though she had read my mind and was worrying about the same thing.

"So," I fall back in Steven's chair. "Its for my whole freshman year, but I actually have to start today. Plus, I'm also responsible for my own crew, so I was hoping that maybe you guys would help me out?"

"Jackie! Are you insane? None of us know anything about TV sets!" Donna whines.

"It's really simple. Donna, all you have to do is hit the record button on the camera and swing it around if I move on set," I explain as though it's the easiest thing in the world, which it's probably not, but I'm desperate and getting ideas. "Ooh, ooh and Fez, you can help me decorate the set with your feminine style!"

"You got it," he nods. I knew Fez would help, he for some reason still felt like he owed me for helping him work things out with Laurie.

"And Michael, you can come on the show and do a segment or something," I say vaguely, not really wanting to trust him with any technology or heavy equipment.

"And grab the attention of every female in Point Place?" He grins dopily. "I'm in!"

"Donna?" I clasp my hands together, pout my lips and give her puppy dog eyes. "Please, will you be my camerawoman?"

Donna watches me skeptically, but sighs after a moment. "Fine, but only because you called me camerawoman and not cameraman."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cheer. "Okay, I've already got the script done for today. So let's go."

"Wait, now?" Donna asks appalled.

"Well, I go on at seven, so we have four hours to learn how to use a camera and finish decorating the set. They've set up most of it for me already, but I wanted to add my own flare to it, so I'm thinking four hours – "

"Jackie, shut up! This is insane!" Donna is still aghast.

"Look, Donna, I know. But I am actually getting a shot at my dream. I'd be crazy not to do this."

There's a pause. "No matter how crazy this is," Donna says.

"Exactly."

Donna nods, then looks down at her feet. It feels like eternity before she looks up again, but when she does, its with resignation and acceptance. She opens her mouth, but I already know the answer. She sighs. "Let's go."

o-o-o

I could make the show be about whatever I wanted, as long as I could draw in an audience. That was the trickiest part of this whole ordeal. I had to draw in viewers, which is why this internship was being offered to a Communications Major. But seeing how I was still in high school and had received no college education for this major yet, I had to go off of what rudimentary knowledge I already had.

Although I had little knowledge of how to use my major to gather in an audience, I had lots of knowledge about the gossip, make up, and lifestyle of a young woman. So that was what my show was going to be about; a news guide for young women in the '70s. Plus, I knew I could get every girl in school to watch it, which meant I'd have a basis for my audience.

I explain all this to Donna and Fez as I drive them to the station where we are set to film. I'd met with my advisor here this morning after I was offered the internship, so I'd be well prepared for my first show this evening.

I had my script already written too. As soon as my advisor had called me about the internship a week ago, he'd told me to start working on a script right away, because if I did receive the offer, things would start off with a bang.

"Okay, Fez," I pull his arm away from the camera where Donna was getting a hang on how to use it. It was almost four o'clock now. Donna was ready, but the set was not, and I still needed to run a dress rehearsal too. "Since you're helping me with set dressing, I want the set to reflect my sparkling personality," I grin. "I want it to say 'Jackie'!"

"Okay, let me see," Fez crosses his arms and immediately gets down to business. "Maybe some glitter, a disco ball…"

"Uh huh," I interrupt him. "I want a big sign that says 'Jackie'," I repeat. I want to make sure he doesn't forget.

Fez nods begrudgingly and I move onto the set and take a seat in my giant office chair.

Donna takes a step away from the camera. "I hate this room," she shakes her head. "It reminds me of my dad dancing around half-naked with finger cymbals."

"Well, like I said," I spin in my chair to face Donna. I had been admiring the 'PPTV your cable access' sign behind me desk, still stunned that I was going to be on the air. "My show is going to be a news show for young women," I remind Donna.

"All nude, or just topless?" Fez says.

I turn to him annoyed. Why wasn't he working on getting me my sign? "Not nude. News! Weren't you listening in the car?"

"Not really," Fez admits.

I sigh, but launch into my story again. "A news show for young women. Information like who's got a new car, or what store is having a sale on leggings, and what styles are currently in. I want to help young women get through high school, and maybe even college, with as much ease and popularity as possible."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~ERIC FORMAN~

I munch on my fries, still mulling over what my parents had told me this morning after I got out of bed. I mean, I knew they were right. I couldn't sleep all day and bum out in their house forever, but getting out there and doing something with your life was a lot more difficult then it seemed when you had no idea what it was you wanted to do with your life.

I'm broken from my dark thoughts when a shrill "All right, fries!" resonates across the record store. I focus back on the present to see Kelso walking across the store to join me, Hyde and Angie at the registers.

"Those from The Hub?" he asks, taking a handful.

"Yep" I nod.

"Hey, where's Fez?" Hyde asks Kelso.

"Oh, he and Donna are helping Jackie with her show. I wasn't allowed to touch anything so I left after about five minutes," Kelso explains.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but Hyde immediately sits up straight.

"Wait a minute," he says. "Jackie starts her internship _today_?"

"Yeah," Kelso nods, not catching Hyde's terse tone. I do, but before I can say anything, Angie speaks up.

"Hey, Eric. Can I have some of your fries?" she asks.

"Sure."

"Well, I don't want any. Burn!" Angie says, clearly proud of herself.

I shake my head and Hyde speaks, his tone dull. "I think you're confusing a burn with just talking."

"Eric can I have some fries?" Kelso says after a long moment.

I know he intends on burning me, but figuring this would be a good learning experience for Angie, I just shrug. "Yeah, help yourself."

Kelso then proceeds to smash his whole face into the fries and grab a bunch with his mouth. Then, face full of fries he pulls up and shouts "Burn!"

We all laugh, of course, but then I throw it back in Kelso's face. "Yeah, um, I knew you were going to do that, so I spit in 'em. Burn!"

Kelso spits out the fries in his mouth into his hand as the rest of us laugh on at his misfortune.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! You ate his spit. Burn!" Angie gets caught up in the moment and doesn't understand what she has just done.

Kelso, Hyde and I grow silent. "Uh, that's a piggyback burn. We don't do that," Kelso explains.

"Oh," Angie frowns.

And then, with the laughter dead, we call all feel the tension build back up in Hyde. Well, maybe not Kelso.

"Come on, Steven," Angie stands up. "We've got to go do inventory in the store room," she pushes him to his feet and guides him to the back.

Angie seems to have a handle on Hyde, so I focus my attention on Kelso. But he has work to do at the Police Academy, which reminds me that I'm supposed to be figuring out my life right now.

But…I figure I can put it off a little longer when I see a guy in The Pit who appears to be reading the new 'Mighty Spectaculus.'

It turns out he is. We introduce ourselves. His name is Stew and he is thirty six years old. Already I can tell we have so much in common, even, regretfully, that neither of us has a job.

"So…so then Stew, what do you do all day?" I ask him.

"You're looking at it," he shrugs.

Here was a thirty six year old man, without a job, who got to spend all day reading comic books. I don't know how he did it, but if he could, couldn't I?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I wasn't exactly in the mood for inventory, but I knew if I didn't help Angie, she'd probably bitch and moan, and maybe even tell W.B., so I grab the first box in the store room without complaint.

"What are you doing?" Angie crosses her arms and watches me.

I wasn't really mad at Angie, but I couldn't help myself. Was she really going to complain that I was doing it wrong?

"Inventory," I grumble.

"We did inventory yesterday," Angie says slowly.

"Then why did you just say that we needed to do it?" I was growing ill-tempered.

"To get you away from the guys so I could go tell you to be with Jackie," Angie says wisely.

I roll my eyes. "Jackie doesn't need my help with anything," I remind her. "She's got Donna and Fez."

"Well, fine," Angie pouts. "But if you're not going to help her, at least go home and watch her show."

"Jackie won't care if I watch it," I say bitterly.

"Of course she will!" Angie says. "Now stop acting like this."

"Like what?" I gripe.

"Like…like an insensitive jerk," she says. She pauses, expecting me to deny this, but I don't because I know she's right. "Now go home and watch your girlfriend on TV."

"But, Angie, the store?" I remind her.

She waves me off. "I've got this. It's a slow day anyway."

"Fine," I drop the box I've been holding this entire time and start shuffling to the door. "Wait, you're not going to use this as bait with W.B. again, are you?"

Angie gives me a look that tells me I'm being completely ridiculous. "Not when its an emergency."

"This is not an emergency," I'm not sure why I'm still arguing with her.

Angie shakes her head. "Oh yes, it is."

o-o-o

Mrs. Forman and I plant ourselves on the couch in the living room as we wait for Jackie to come on in a few minutes. Mrs. Forman is munching on a bowl of popcorn, but I refuse any when she offers, still not quite having shaken this deep-set anger, which I had now figured had a lot to do with Jackie and her only wanting me when she needed help attitude.

But then Fez walks through the door, and that is completely forgotten. "Fez, Jackie's show is about to start. Aren't you supposed to be helping her?" I point to the television set.

"Yeah, well she asked me to make her a giant sign with her name on it, so I said 'You got it baby.' So then I went to get some ice cream. And then I went to play some Space Invaders. And um, then I came here to watch the show," he concludes, sitting on the couch next to me.

I'm about to yell at him that he needs to go help Jackie, but then Mrs. Forman interrupts with a story about a Cheeto shaped like Jesus.

I wait patiently until my surrogate mother is finished before turning back to Fez. "You need to go back there and help her, man," I say, dead serious.

Fez grumbles unpleasantly. "I don't want to," he pouts. "You go help her."

"Jackie doesn't want my help man, she wants yours," I explain, exasperated. Why did no one understand this?

Fez gives me the same look that Angie gave me at the record store when she thought I was acting ludicrous. "She only asked me because you had to work," Fez says slowly, as though explaining something to a child.

I don't have a response for Fez right away; he just wasn't getting it.

"Anyway," Mrs. Forman starts up again. "I opened the bag, and there he was! The beard and everything," she looks back at the TV. "Oh! Oh, Jackie's about to start," she turns up the volume as Jackie appears on the screen.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"Okay, Jackie. Are you ready?" Donna hands me my script.

I put down the mirror I was using to adjust my make-up. "Of course," but even as I say that I feel a colony of butterflies take flight in my stomach. But I remind myself that if I wasn't a little nervous then I wouldn't be human. "I've got this thing down pat." Then, just as a quick refresher I repeat the line-up out loud. "Okay, so after the fashion report, I'm gonna get into the problem of the Spirit Squad. The proper diet of the cheerleader. I'm anti-fat, and I'm going to spread that knowledge to everyone."

"Okay. Ten seconds until you're on the air, influencing _thousands_ of impressionable teenage girls."

"Thousands?" I repeat. I don't know why, but that sends the butterflies into a frenzy. The more viewers the better, right? Then why did thousands of people suddenly terrify me?

Donna ignores me. "In 5…4…3…"

Where was the two and one? And why did it feel like I suddenly couldn't breathe? Why was Donna pointing at me? And more importantly, why was a bright red light from the camera suddenly blinding me?

"You didn't say two or one," I peer past the light and try to find Donna in the dark. The only lights were on me, and they were so hot I could feel my skin growing red with heat and sticky with sweat.

"Its because you're on now!" Donna hisses.

"Wait, but I'm not – " I stop. _Ready_. I'm not ready, I was going to say. But if I didn't start acting professional I was done for.

"Hi," I set down my make-up and stare into the camera. Then I start, speaking, but I'm not sure what I'm saying; I'm on auto pilot, entranced by the stupid red light, at least until I hear Donna speak again.

"Jackie Burkhart," she mutters.

"What?" I whisper vehemently.

"It's your name!"

"I know what my name is," I seethe.

"You said Backie Jurkhart."

"Okay, stop talking or you're fired."

"Fine," Donna steps away from the camera. "You're on your own."

"I'm what?" I glance back and forth between Donna and the camera. And I know its over. I completely blew it and there was no way I was going to be able to fix this disaster. I was in way over my head.

I try to speak again, but an incoherent squeaking disaster is all that comes out.

Donna said I was on my own. She gave up on me and so did Fez. Steven had already given up on me. And my parents gave up on me long ago. I had to do this entirely alone. And it was no longer a letter grade at stake here. It was my future at risk and it was slipping through my fingers like water.

There's a loud, resonating slam, and I focus my eyes to see the door rattling closed, Donna gone, and the stupid red light still glowing.

My future.

I had to do whatever I could to salvage whatever was left of it. So I finish my show. I can't move from this chair, since I had no way of having the camera follow me. I don't think my hands or voice ever stop shaking. My heart feels like it may jump out of my throat. And when my half hour is over, I have to walk off stage, the camera catching my every move. And all my viewers are treated to a picture of an empty chair as I then struggle to turn the camera off and end this disaster.

I find Donna waiting outside.

"Jackie, I am so sorry," she rushes over to me.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't've have threatened to fire you when you were just trying to help me," I shrug. "I just completely lost it out there."

"Come on, let's go to the basement," Donna pulls me into a hug.

"Okay," I start to fish for my keys in my coat pocket, but I can barely hold those and figure I'd hardly be able to handle a steering wheel. "I think I'm going to walk. The cold feels refreshing," I say, which is true. Slowly I could feel the shock wearing off as the cold settled in.

"All right. I'll walk with you," Donna nods resolutely.

We walk to the Forman's in complete silence. It's dark by the time we get there, and I don't know how I'm going to get home, but that's a problem for later.

"Oh, hey. Jackie, uh, I saw your show," Michael says when Donna and I arrive in the basement. I duck my head and join Donna on the couch. "It isn't as good as a lot of other shows."

I don't even have a response for him. But Donna does. "No. it was great for people who think regular TV is too entertaining," Donna tries to lighten the mood.

But it's too difficult for me to find any humor. "I freaked out," my voice cracks, and I fight back the tears. "I mean the cameras turned on and I realized I'm completely alone. I'm alone on TV and I'm alone in real life. I don't know what I'm gonna do," I lean my head down on Donna's shoulder, too exhausted to even keep myself upright.

I hear the snip before I feel the slight change in pressure behind my head. But before I have time to put two and two together I hear Angie shout "Burn!" and turn to find a lock of my hair separated from my head and in Angie's hand.

"Oh my God!' I cry, flying off the couch and fleeing out of the basement. I'm not sure how I make it without falling onto the hard stone stairs, especially with the tears blurring my vision, but before I know it, I'm standing in the middle of the Forman's driveway in the pitch black without my stupid car and no way to get home so I can wallow in my misery.

Taking a shaky breath, I move to sit underneath the basketball hoop, in attempt to gather my thoughts and figure out my next plan of action. But the longer I sit, the harder it is to think. So I stop trying.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~DONNA PINCIOTTI~

Jackie slams the door behind her. I stare at the lock of hair in Angie's hand for a beat. I see it, but I can't freaking believe it.

"Uh," Kelso starts and we all turn to him. "Uh…I forgot to tell you the part about you don't burn someone who's already crying," he tells Angie likes it's the most obvious thing in the world. And it really is.

Angie stares at her hand, and slowly a look of horror spreads across her features. "I cannot believe I just did that."

"All right, all right," I speak up. "Angie and Kelso. Come with me. You guys are going to apologize to Jackie."

"But…but what did I do?" Kelso whines.

"You told her that her show sucked!" I yell at him incredulously.

I know Jackie can't have gotten far, and my guess is she went crying upstairs to Hyde, so I lead Angie and Kelso up the stairs to the kitchen. No one is there. In the living room are Fez, Hyde and Mrs. Forman.

"Hyde!" I shout.

"What?" he turns to us, confused.

"Why aren't you consoling Jackie?"

"Huh?"

Why did all my friends have to be so dumb? "She's really upset that her show basically tanked. Why aren't you with her?"

"Oh, that," his voice changes tones.

"What the hell does that mean?" I cross my arms.

Mrs. Forman looks concerned, and Fez just looks ill. "It means that she doesn't want me. She wants you guys," Hyde waves me off.

"Hyde, you're being a colossal jerk," I tell him.

"Yeah, so I've heard," he turns away from me and focuses back on the TV.

I can't believe what I'm seeing. I stare, open-mouthed and shocked at my best friend's boyfriend. I exchange a look with Mrs. Forman and she gives me a nod, as though saying, "Go handle Jackie. I'll take care of this bimbo."

Angie must notice it too, because she tugs on my arm. "Let's go find Jackie."

We head back into the kitchen, and right outside the door I can make out a dark, tiny, figure crumpled under the basketball hoop.

I lead Kelso and Angie outside. Sure enough, Jackie is sitting in the driveway. And I almost wish she was still crying. Instead, she is staring off into space with her eyes wide and expression blank.

"Oh my God, Jackie. I am so sorry for cutting your hair, you have no idea," Angie says in one giant breath.

There is silence again, but slowly Jackie comes back to life and shifts her gaze up to meet Angie's. "Yeah," she mumbles.

I turn to Kelso expectantly. He looks confused, but then I think he remembers because he clears his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, and I'm sorry I made fun of your show," he says.

"Look, Jackie," I don't wait for her response to Kelso. "You said you don't know what to do, so I'm going to tell you. Tomorrow you're going to get up and psych yourself up, because tomorrow night at seven, you're going to go on air again and do great."

Jackie looks up at me. And then nods her head slowly. I continue. "Yeah, and you can do that segment with Kelso like we were talking about. That way you don't have to be on screen alone."

"Oh yeah, I was thinking we could do a segment called 'Slut or Not', since I'm the slut expert of this area," Kelso says.

"Okay," Jackie says.

Angie and Kelso look at me for what to do next. I send them away then sit across from Jackie on the ground.

"Come on Jackie," I say after a moment. "You can sleep at my house tonight. That way you don't have to be alone."

The truth was, I was feeling pretty guilty. I already apologized for walking out on her, but I think it was when I told her that she was on her own that she finally broke, so I felt like I needed to fix this.

Jackie looks at me. Her expression is still blank and I wish she would show any kind of emotion; anything would be better than this. Finally she nods her head. But once again only one word comes out of her mouth. "Okay."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

Donna basically drags me to her room and then plops me on her bed while she goes to the kitchen to gather up some snacks. Apparently she had something planned for us that was guaranteed to cheer me up.

I doubted that.

I had become so numb to the cold when I had been sitting out there, but now that I was inside, I realize how cold it really was. Spring was maybe starting in a few weeks, but there was still piles of snow left over from this winter's largest snow mounds.

I quickly grow warm and lazily pull off my coat and throw it to the floor. The heat was making me a bit drowsy too. I'm contemplating laying back on Donna's pillow and just resting my eyes when she returns from the kitchen.

I shoot straight up, the exhaustion I'd felt moments ago long forgotten. Donna is carrying a bowl of popcorn (no surprise there, popcorn was Donna's go to remedy whenever I was sad, although I wasn't sure why), some sodas and a pile of papers. She joins me on her bed, sitting cross-legged, setting the bowl between us and handing me a soda.

"What's that?" I can't help but have my curiosity piqued by the papers she was holding.

"Well," Donna smiles. "Remember how you asked viewers to submit their questions to you for advice on your show?"

"Yeah…" I say, not sure where this was going.

During my show, I introduced a segment that I would be starting on my next show called 'Ask Jackie!' where any of the viewers could submit questions to me regarding fashion, high school, make-up and the works and I'd choose a few to answer in each show. I doubted anybody would send any after what a disorganized, chaotic mess I was while on the air today. Which was fine with me, because I probably wasn't going to continue with the show anyways. I wasn't sure how Donna knew about that though, since she walked out before I introduced the segment.

"How did you know about that?" I ask her.

"After I stormed out, I found a copy of your script in your car and read through it while I waited for you," she explains. "Anyways, before we left, I ran back inside to see if the studio had recorded any phone calls for that segment…and they did. There's tons of them, Jackie!" she hands me the papers.

I take the papers from her. Someone had written down all the questions that viewers – _my_ viewers – submitted. They wanted my advice.

"But…" I start.

"I was talking to some of the people back there and they were telling me that a lot of the callers were inspired by you. They thought it took a lot of guts for a seventeen year old girl to go on air by herself and want to see more and more of you."

I was surprised. I really was. But that didn't change what happened today.

"That's great Donna…" I pause. "But, I – I don't think I can put myself through that again," I confess.

Donna's disappointment is clear on her face, but she keeps pushing. "But I promised to come back, and Kelso and Angie want to help out too."

I shrug my shoulders, hating to disappoint her, but I was pretty sure it was over. Even if I wanted to go back, I'd probably lost the internship anyway.

"Look," Donna tosses a piece of popcorn at my face. I swat it away and it hits her instead. She eats it. "Look. How about we go through some of these questions in case you change your mind."

"Donna, then we might as well write a whole script!" I groan. "I can't do the show without a script prepared."

"Then let's write the script," Donna bounces eagerly on the bed.

"Did you not hear me say I was done with the show?" I whine.

"Yes, I did," Donna admits shamelessly. "And I _am_ trying to change your mind." I give her a skeptical look and she sighs exasperated. "Come on, Jackie! At least write the script. _Then_ decide if you want to quit."

"Ugh," I fall back on her bed. "Fine! If it will get you to stop pestering me."

Donna doesn't jump with excitement like I expected her to. In fact, she doesn't make a peep. I crane my neck up curiously.

She is just watching me. "I knew you'd come around," she says haughtily.

"I haven't changed my mind," I remind her emphatically.

She grins like a deviant. "Yet."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~ERIC FORMAN~

I had to shake this life slump I was in. Stew Bailey was a bum, but it was a good thing I got to know him a little, because seeing his life showed me what I could very well become. I had to shake this thing now, lest I become like him and live with my parents for the rest of my life. That's why, when I wake up the next morning, I immediately grab a trash bag and head to the basement to throw out every single comic book I owned.

"What are you doin'?" Jackie asks when I arrive in the basement.

She is moping on the couch. I've been too wrapped up in this Stew business to really grasp what's been going on with Jackie, but from what Donna's been talking about, its not good.

"I'm throwing out all my comic books," I explain as I start across the room in a rush, grabbing every brightly colored magazine in sight. "I saw my future yesterday and…well, its living with my mother," I wince.

"Yeah, well I saw my future and it sweats," Jackie says, just as melancholy.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on," I stop my task and look at her. "You sweat? Would you happen to have a picture? Some tape of this I could laugh at?"

Jackie rolls her eyes. "Eric, I tried to have my own TV show, and I failed. My life is over. I'm not good enough to be on TV."

I told myself it was because I wanted her out of my basement, but the truth was I actually felt a little bit bad for the devil. "No, Jackie. Okay, come on," I sit across from her on the arm of the couch. "You're good-looking, you're incredibly superficial and you lie constantly. I think you're perfect for TV."

"Do you really think so?" she asks.

I actually had no idea. I hadn't seen her show yesterday, but I realize that she probably needed someone to tell her she could do it, just like I wished someone would tell me.

"Yeah," I tell her. "I mean…jeez, look, at least you're doing something with your life. I have wasted an entire year, and haven't once thought about what I want to do."

"Eric, let me stop you right there," Jackie reaches forward to pat my knee. "Okay, since you were kind enough to cheer me up when my spirits were low, I'll give you the best advice I can," she clears her throat like she is about to say something profound. "You don't have to know what you want to do with your life right this minute. You'll figure it out eventually. But you won't find the answer down here in the basement. You have to start living, and the answer will come to you."

I roll my eyes, but hidden in her words might be a grain of truth. "Now, I've got a show to do!" Jackie jumps off the couch, her energy completely opposite of what it was when I first came down here.

She runs out the door. I shake my head, surprised that I just had a real one-on-one conversation with Jackie Burkhart, the devil. But she did convince me of one thing. I needed to start living. So after I finish trashing all my comic books, I get out of the basement, prepared to find something, anything to do.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I chew silently on the sandwich Mrs. Forman made for me, even as she stares at me expectantly from across the table.

"Steven," she says after I'm about halfway through my sandwich.

"Yes?" I say, already not liking where this is going from the tone of her voice.

"What's up with you and Jackie?" She says knowingly.

"Nothing," I say, probably too harshly. Mrs. Forman raises her eyebrows keenly. "Okay, fine," I give in. "She acts like wants me for me you know," I'm sickened by the words coming out of my mouth. "But its only because she wants my help."

"I'm sorry, but what have you been smoking?" Kitty narrows her eyes. I gulp nervously, unsure of whether or not she is serious, but then she laughs her signature laugh and I know it's a joke. "No, but honey, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Take when she asked me to move in with her," I try to explain. "I thought she asked me, because I'm her, you know, boyfriend. But then as soon as she got that job with Red, she stopped begging me to live with her. So its pretty obvious she only wanted me to live with her so I would help pay the rent."

"Steven, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Mrs. Forman shakes her head.

"I swear, if one more person calls me ridiculous – "

"No, no. Honey," Mrs. Forman stops me. "I think this is just one big giant misunderstanding."

"So what do I do?" I ask her, because I haven't been able to figure it out myself.

"Well, you can go see Jackie at the station where she is recording her show, brighten her day and work things out, or…or you can continue to sit here like the broody brood you are and be miserable."

I didn't really believe her that this was just a big misunderstanding. But she was right that if I didn't do something, I'd just continue to be miserable.

I nod my head. "Thanks Mrs. Forman," I shove the last bit of sandwich in my mouth. Then I go find Jackie.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

I'm not sure what Eric said that got through to me, but I hurry over to the station with renewed purpose knowing that I could knock this thing out of the park. I have to run, seeing as how my car was already there…and I was running late.

Thankfully its not horribly far (Point Place was a small town, after all). When I finally get there, I glance at my watch nervously and find that I have less than two minutes until I'm on the air. I rush upstairs.

"Hey," I smile at Donna, Angie and Michael who had all showed up to support me.

"Jackie, I can't believe you showed up," Donna pulls her headphones on as I rush to my desk chair before we went on the air. "I can't believe _I_ showed up. What am I doing with my life?"

"Okay, come on people. We've got a show to do," I focus and get down to business. I straighten the script on my desk and smile at the camera. This time I am ready.

"Okay," Donna nods. "In 3…" and this time I notice her count off two and one with her fingers and the red light doesn't blind me when it flashes on.

"Hi, I'm Jackie Burkhart, and here's all the news you need to know," I start. I can feel the confidence radiating off of me and I can see Donna mimicking my own smile as I continue on. "This just in: slacks are out. So ladies, shave those legs and put on a skirt."

Then I rise from my seat and Donna follows me across the set with the camera. "Up next, senior correspondent Michael Kelso joins me for a very exciting segment I like to call 'Slut or Not'."

Michael joins me next to the easel set up with or 'Slut or Not' cards. "Michael, welcome," I introduce him.

"Hi Jackie," he nods at me then points at the camera. "Ladies."

"Okay, let's get started, I pull down the first card to reveal a name. "Marcy Cavanaugh," I read.

"Slut," Michael smiles.

"Susy Rice," I read the next card.

"Slut," he repeats.

"Ooh, Jenny Keene."

"Partly slutty with a chance of severe sluttiness," Michael switches it up a bit.

Before I can pull down the next card, I see someone move in my periphery. I glance over and see Angie walk on set. I panic momentarily.

But I school my face to calm…even when Angie pulls down Michael's pants on live TV.

"Angie, what the hell?" he looks at her, standing uncomfortably in his underwear.

"Burn?" she asks.

Michael stands stunned for a moment. "Burn!" he shouts after a moment, then proceeds to hug his girlfriend.

I swallow, refusing to let this set me back. "Well, there you have it America. You're first televised burn. Up next, a hard-hitting segment called 'Ask Jackie!'. We'll be right back."

I watch as the red light fades off before I run off the set to Donna. "Oh my God, I did it!" I cheer.

"Yeah you did," Donna jumps with me.

"I think that was all I needed," I reflect. "I had to believe I could do it, and then once I did it, it would all be okay."

Donna is nodding eagerly.

"Okay, I'm going to go fix my make-up," I head toward my table in the far back of the room.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

I had been starting to think living with Jackie wouldn't be such a bad idea, but I hadn't even admitted as much to Mrs. Forman, so I had no idea how I was supposed to tell _Jackie_ that. But I head over to the TV studio anyway, knowing I'd have to figure out something to say to Jackie to fix things between us.

The door to the set is locked because she is on the air. But its only moments after the light fades off that I hear the door unlock.

No one comes out, so I take a deep breath before pushing the door open.

The back wall is covered by a heavy black curtain and the only person on this side of it is Donna. I figure that this is only the first commercial break and I don't have much time to waste so I clear my throat and walk up to Donna. "Hey, man. Is Jackie around?"

"Hey," Donna turns, clearly surprised to see me. "Yeah, but I thought you were mad at her?" she asks. But before I can say anything she gasps and gives me a look. "You came to apologize, didn't you? Oh, you're going to tell her that you loooove her," she drones excitedly. "And you're little sunglasses are gonna get all fogged up," she continues.

I can't actually vocally get mad at her because all words are suddenly stuck in my throat.

Donna taps me lightly on the shoulder as she passes by me. "Jackie, there's someone here to see you," she calls at the black curtain.

After a moment Jackie peaks her head curiously out from behind the curtain. "Steven!" she says her whole face lighting up. "You came."

"Of course I did," I say, my voice quiet. "Uh, I thought maybe we could talk for a minute," I keep my voice level, even though I was shaking in my boots from what I was about to say.

"Is it about my show?" Jackie says, as eager as a child. "'Cause it was awesome. Steven, I went on and I did great! And it did it on my _own_. I mean, I've never been more proud of myself in my entire life. I'm gonna do great on my own," she says, practically on cloud nine. "I'm sorry," she focuses back on me. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, um…" I wrack my brain for something to say. After everything she just said, it was clear that she wanted to be on her own. I'd be a fool to say what was on my mind now. "I just wanted to say congratulations on your show."

"Thank you," she says softly.

"Yeah," I nod.

"Did you see Michael with his pants down?" she laughs.

"No," I say. "But, I don't need a TV to see that," I stall.

Jackie nods. Then she glances down at her watch. "Well, I've got to get back on the air soon. Stay and watch the second half?" she asks.

"Of course."

Then Jackie jumps up and wraps her arms around my neck. She kisses me quickly before hopping back on the set and doing the last minute touches to her make-up.

"Hyde," Donna says from behind me.

I turn and see her head popped out from behind the curtain.

"C'm'ere," she says.

I shuffle towards her head and she steps out from behind the curtain.

"You are such a chicken," she whispers to me, crossing her arms.

"What?" I ask.

"What did you want to talk to Jackie about?" she asks. And then just like before, she reads my expression and knows. "Oh my God, you were going to tell her you want to live with her, weren't you?" she whispers even quieter.

"What? No? You're crazy," I try and fail miserably at being Zen. "Okay, fine. I was, but its obvious she doesn't need me. She's doing great on her own," I repeat Jackie's own words.

"Seriously Hyde, you are the most difficult, ridiculous – "

"That's it, I'm done," I've had enough.

But Donna grabs my arm and pulls me back with her brute strength. "No, listen to me," she says. "Maybe she doesn't _need_ you to live with her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't _want_ you to."

"So I've heard," I mumble.

"Then why don't you believe it?" Donna asks. "Or at least ask Jackie instead of assuming what her answer is going to be."

"How am I supposed to do that now?" I ask Donna. "She's clearly very proud of all she's done on her own, as she should be."

Donna doesn't have an answer right away. But after a moment I practically see the lightbulb go off in her head. "I've got an idea," she says.

Then she pulls me behind the curtain.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"Welcome back," I say as soon as the red light pops back on. Donna has just handed me the cards for my next segment. "Now its time for a new segment I call 'Ask Jackie!' where viewers like you can send questions anonymously to me by calling the number on the screen and submitting your questions. Then I'll answer a few questions on my show, using the knowledge that made me the most popular, liked girl in high school.

"Now, for the first question: 'Hi, Jackie! I am going to graduate from high school this spring, and my cap and gown are going to be bright orange. What kind of dress should I wear to go with this disastrous color? Signed, Confused Graduate.'

"Well, Confused Graduate," I look up from my card to the camera. "I'm graduating this spring too, but luckily my gown is black, so I can wear anything. Unfortunately, the orange gown limits your color options. I'd wear something black or white to subtly offset that bright orange. And make sure it's a light material. It gets hot under those graduation gowns and you don't want to see pit stains in your graduation picture!"

I shuffle to the next card. As I start reading it though, I feel a slight panic settle in my stomach. This was not one of the questions I had read through last night when I was planning today's script. But I quickly realize something.

"'My girlfriend asked me to move in with her. I said no, but now I changed my mind. Do you think she still wants to live with me? Signed, you know who.'"

I snap my head up. Steven is sitting in a set chair in the corner by the door, watching me, his face impassive behind his sunglasses. But I know the question is from him. And I can't stop the stupid grin that's forming on my face. I answer the question without taking my eyes off his.

"I can _guarantee_ you that your girlfriend would _love_ that you want to live with her," I say, hardly able to keep the excitement out of my voice. "She doesn't want to be alone."

The rest of the segment passes in a blur. And the one after that and the one after that. I keep stealing glances in Steven's direction, but he doesn't move and the mask on his face doesn't crack.

It seems like an eternity before the red light switches off to the final commercial break.

I fly out of my chair and rush over to Steven. He stands up at the last second and I barrel into his arms.

"You changed your mind?" I say into his hair.

"Yes," he says uncomfortably but unwavering. I pull away from him to look into his eyes, which I can now see are narrowed nervously behind his shades. "But I thought you were going to be fine on your own."

"I would be. It's great to know that if I needed to, I could survive independently," I'm surprised to feel tears spring into my eyes. "But I never _wanted_ to be alone."

I stretch my arms around the back of his neck and bury my face in his neck, my enthusiasm beyond words. I feel Steven's arms wrap lightly around the small of my back and my heart warms as I melt against him.

"Jackie!" I hear my name get screeched somewhere across the room. I jump, releasing my hold on Steven, and see Michael rushing up to us, Angie following behind, a rueful grin spreading across her face as she shakes her head slowly.

"What?" I asked, slightly alarmed.

"So I just got a call from PPTV and they want to put me on for a full half hour to do Slut or Not," Michael explains, excited as a kid who just got a puppy for Christmas.

"Oh my God," I mutter under my breath, suddenly understanding Angie's sheepish look from before.

"Yep," Michael shouts clearly having missed the tone of my voice. "Get ready Point Place. The ruggedly handsome Michael Kelso will be gracing your TV screens every Tuesday night!"

Steven grabs my wrist and pulls me a few steps away from Michael who has started flailing excitedly about the room. "There's just one condition," he says.

"Huh?" I am confused.

A small grin flickers at the corner of his lips. "On Tuesday nights, we don't watch PPTV. Or I'm going back to the Forman's. Deal?"

I slap his chest playfully. "Deal."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The next chapter, "Down the Road Apiece" was originally supposed to be posted on the day this episode aired, March 2nd. Due to personal reasons, I will actually be posting this chapter tomorrow, **March 8th**.


	8. Down the Road Apiece

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the small delay in posting this chapter; I lost power at home due to a snowstorm, so I had to wait until I got back to my college campus (that does have electricity) so that I could post it. I still plan to post the next chapter today, as scheduled.

 **Author's Note (2):** This chapter contains content that gave this story a "T" rating. It is _far_ from explicit/smut, but I thought I should give a warning, just in case.

* * *

~ERIC FORMAN~

I start to pull all the clothes out of my bag, feeling the lump in my throat dissipate as I do. My pulse returns to normal and I slump down onto my bed, defeated.

 _You have to start living, and the answer will come to you_ , Jackie's words from a week ago come back to me. Nothing that girl had ever said in all the years I've known her has stuck with me like these words do.

Maybe because she was right. I heave myself back upright, expelling a long sigh before shoving my clothes back into the duffel. I couldn't use the basement as an excuse not to live anymore. I knew I'd always be able to come back to it, but at some point, I had to venture out.

Yesterday, when I was driving home from Grooves, looking around Point Place where I'd spent almost every day of my life, I suddenly grew sick of it, I didn't want to see it anymore. This stupid town had sucked me into it, putting me in this rut that made me the kind of guy that still lives with his parents as an adult with no job, no money, and no future.

Of course, had I been thinking logically I would've known that it wasn't exactly fair to blame all my troubles on this town. It was an excuse. But it was also all the motivation I needed to pack myself up and look for a new view for a while.

I was hitting the road. And my resolve didn't falter this time as I zipped up the duffel once and for all and headed downstairs to where all my filming equipment was already packed up in a box in the kitchen.

"Okay, I don't understand why you're taking a video camera on a road trip," my mom says as I finish loading stuff into the Vista Cruiser.

I try not to roll my eyes at my mother. I had explained this to her already a thousand times, but she still didn't seem to get it. I knew this had to be hard on her, what with me leaving with an indefinite return date, but patience was still not always an easy concept to practice with her sometimes.

"You should be packing more sensible items like," my mother continues. "Toilet paper and your mother."

"Look mom, accept it." My patience falters. "I'm going. Okay, my year off is now officially over. And I think I've finally decided on a sensible career that's going to provide me with a really stable future." I pause here for added effect. "I'm going to be a travel documentary filmmaker!" I say excitedly.

My mom exchanges a look with Donna who just shrugs. Donna had been the first one I'd shared this idea with. She wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea herself, but she'd been solidly supportive throughout this endeavor. I felt bad for leaving her, but this was not permanent, and this is really what I needed. If anybody understood that, it was Donna.

"Oh, come on, you made that up!" my father startles me from behind. I turn to face him. "Hey Kitty, I'm going ice-skating on a rainbow." His words, despite painting a pretty picture, are filled with derision and disdain. It rolls right off of me, though.

"Eric, don't listen to him," Donna walks over to me, but she's laughing at what Red said. "I have complete confidence that you're gonna be the best traveling docu-what's it-who-maker ever," she stumbles over her words, but it still brings a smile to my face.

"Thank you," I tell her, but then my mother comes butting in again.

"Do you have enough money?" her concern is clear.

"Mom, I don't need that much money," I try to reassure her. "I'm sure that at stops along the way, strangers will just offer me hot pots of beans in exchange for colorful stories from the road."

I know, it sounds crazy, like something you'd only see in some movie about a guy who loses everything and ends up on the streets with vagabonds who share with him incredible stories about their lives until finally he finds his own story, blah, blah, blah…

But wasn't that exactly what I was trying to do? Find my own story? If somebody came to me and asked me about my life, what would I have to tell them but a few stories about drinking beer and building Star Wars sets in my parents' basement?

"Hot pots of beans?" my mother is far from amused. "What if they're spicy? You can't even chew cinnamon gum!" she exclaims.

"Okay, that's it. I'm going," I decide not to argue this any farther.

Then, after a few awkward good-byes and a promise to call someone (although I'm not sure who) at nine o'clock tonight, I'm able to slip into the cruiser and away from this wretched place.

o-o-o

I've set up the camera so that it's filming me from the second I pull out of the driveway. If I'm going to do this documentary thing right, then I've got to show the authenticity and naturalness of my transition from skinny-kid that still lives with his parents to a seasoned man of the Earth.

And it starts off well, but then fifteen minutes into my drive (of course, after I pee behind the Piggly-Wiggly, that's right – _behind_ the Piggly-Wiggly; a man of the Earth must conform to no cold, porcelain toilet), a shrill screech escapes from my throat as the sound of one of my tires basically exploding (and no, I am not exaggerating) echoes throughout the car.

My immediate concern revolves less around my more-than-likely-busted tire and more with the embarrassing act I displayed that the camera caught on film. I quickly decide that I'll just delete this footage, and grab the camera before moving out of the car so that I can film a more _manly_ response to my first road block (both literally and figuratively).

Once I've set up the camera on my listing car, I hit the record button and lean back against the Cruiser.

"Okay, I think what we've learned today is that the road can be a cruel, cruel mistress," I start my pre-thought poetic speech. "She caresses your tire with her asphalt hand one minute, punctures it the next. But hey, at least that didn't stop me from making it out of Point Place."

Then I turn toward the Cruiser, prepared to display my tire-changing skills for all of America. But a sign a few feet ahead catches my sight. _YOU ARE NOW LEAVING POINT PLACE_ it reads in all capital letters. I whip my head back around to the camera and sure enough, the lens is pointed right at the sign. I curse under my breath then turn the camera away from the sign, and start my spiel all over again.

Once that is taken care of, I reposition the camera once again, this time on the flat tire. I run through ideas in my head on how to handle this next part on film. Finally I decide that I'll go with the tire psychiatrist joke, since I used poetic symbolism last time. This way I'll be able to show my range of talents, from poetry to comedy…to changing a tire.

With one last glance in the window to fix my hair, I hit the record button once again.

"Greetings, gentle viewer. Road trip update," I gesture toward the flat. "About to change a flat tire. Which uh, which reminds me of a little joke," I practice my wry smile. "How many psychiatrists does it take to change a flat tire? Well, see, first the tire has to really want to change.

"Good one," I chuckle to myself a moment later. But then its back to business. "Anyway," I clap my hands once. "What do you say we slap a spare tire on this sucker, huh?"

I step away from the camera and reach into the back where the spare is kept. Except it's not there. A brief moment of panic overcomes me. Red always kept the spare tire in the back. Could I have been wrong? I quickly check underneath each row of seats, then fall to my hands and knees and look underneath the car. Nothing. Where was the spare?

Not wanting the camera to catch another freak out on film, I turn it off. I lean back against the car, contemplating what to do. I was in the middle of nowhere. The only sign of life was the birds chirping in the thickness of the forest, somewhere invisible to my eye.

I glare at the sign _YOU ARE NOW LEAVING POINT PLACE_. Why couldn't I have made it just a few more feet? That way it wouldn't look so bad if I decided to quit right here and now. At least I would've been able to say I made it out of this town. But no.

Maybe though, that was the sign I needed not to quit. I had to make it out of here, and by my tire busting right before I got out, it was a sign that the journey ahead would be tough, but it would be worth it in the end.

Could I believe that?

A deep sigh escapes from between my lips and I stand up straight to observe my surroundings. I'd managed to pull the Cruiser off the road to a patch of dirt right by the guard rails. When I peer beyond the guard rails though, I notice that the forest floor is a hundred feet below. Scratch that option.

I step back into the road. Not a single car, not even the sound of one in the distance. The more I think about it, I begin to realize that not a single car has passed me on this road since I've been stuck here. How deep in the middle of nowhere was I? I swallow nervously and consider my options.

I couldn't head back the way I came. The closest place was the Piggly Wiggly, but it would take me hours to get there. I could head in the other direction, the direction I meant to go, but who knows how long I'd be walking before I found something? Or someone?

Not only that, but the road ahead takes a sharp curve, and the tall trees of the surrounding forest prevent me from seeing what is one hundred feet down the road, much less a couple of miles.

But what other choice did I have? I wasn't comfortable leaving the safety of my car, but it was better than sitting around here waiting to be eaten, or worse, starve to death.

I grab the flashlight from the back seat, and one of the sandwiches my mom packed me, feeling resolved to start searching. If I could find nothing by nightfall, I would head back to the Cruiser and hope and pray that someone would eventually find me.

The only thing I find on the road though is more twists and turns on the pavement, and if possible, the forest seems to grow thicker. The broad leaves are the dark green of summer, and as the sun passes behind the horizon, individual trees and patches of light become less and less discernable. At one point I turn my flashlight into the trees, needing the reassurance that it's just bark, wood, and leaves that make up these dark shadows, not something evil and menacing, but I think I see a pair of eyes glint in the light, and I quickly turn off the light and pick up my pace.

I turn around before it its pitch black, but by the time I get back to the Cruiser, I can't see my hand in front of my face. I turn on the flashlight and point it at the flat tire, considering my options.

I aim the camera at the tire and hit the record button, the red light glowing eerily in the dark. I figure that maybe if I talk out loud I'll be able to think of a rational solution.

"It turns out there, there is no spare tire," I speak, staring directly at the red light above the lens. I keep the flashlight pointed at the flat. "And uh, it's like pitch dark out here," I tear my gaze from the safety of the red light and try to once again take in my surroundings, however unsuccessfully.

Just then I hear a rustling of leaves, and not the kind of rustling of wind blowing through the alive, green leaves. No, it's the kind of rustling of someone, or something, shifting in the darkness through the dead, brown, decaying leaves on the forest floor.

"Hello? Hello?" I whip around pointing my light in the direction of the sound. My heart is pounding so hard from the sudden adrenaline rush that it feels as though it is leaping right into my throat, choking out whatever air is left in my body. I suddenly feel faint. I need to keep talking lest I pass out right there and never wake up again.

"Okay, there's definitely someone out there," I turn back to the camera. "And uh, I don't know who, but I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that it's probably a convict with a hook for a hand." I have trouble keeping my imagination from running wild and from keeping my voice from rising up an octave with fear.

"Hello?" I try again. "Okay, okay, buddy," My mind starts to race as I think I see a dark figure approaching, a figure slightly bigger than me. I blink a few times, trying to see better, to no avail. "You come one step closer, I've got a tire iron…and I'll just give it to you if you'll go away."

Then the figure steps into the weak path of light provided by my flashlight.

And I don't know what emotion overwhelms me more. Relief or surprise that the figure standing before me is Leo.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"No, absolutely not. No way." When I see that Steven has arranged _our_ furniture in _our_ apartment's living area to look just like the basement at the Forman's house, I practically have an aneurysm.

"What's wrong with it?" Steven asks, but I see him smirk, so I know he knows what I'm thinking.

"It's Eric's basement!" I exclaim. "It's the same thing you did to The Pit at Grooves."

Steven crosses his arms and leans up against the back of the couch. The smile toying at his lips tells me he's taking great pleasure in this task. Or more accurately, in my outburst. "Do you have a better idea?" he prompts.

I look around the room. With one couch, a loveseat, coffee-table and a TV with a stand, there wasn't many other arrangements that worked. But I'd be damned if my apartment had to look like the Forman's house.

"As a matter of fact, I do." I step forward, heading for the TV set. "If we move the TV to this wall instead, we can move the loveseat to this spot and then we can even see the TV from the kitchen."

Steven makes a face. "Then there will be a glare from the window."

I'm quick with my response. "Then we'll get curtains."

It was officially moving day, or well, the day Steven and I started to move furniture into our apartment, at least. We wouldn't officially be moving in until after I graduated. The living room furniture we were currently arguing about had come from my house, from the additional parlor that my family had never used. My parents had always told me that furniture would be mine when I moved out, and anyway, neither one of them was in any position right now to be stopping me.

There is a chipper knock at the door just now, and I practically squeal in excitement. "Oh my God, our first visitor!" I run for the door. As I reach for the door handle I glance back at Steven who is glaring at the furniture while muttering something under his breath, so I miss it when Fez slips in past me.

"Fez man, what're you doing here?" Steven frowns.

Fez shrugs and proceeds to make himself comfortable on our couch. He reaches for the TV set and tries to no avail to turn it on despite the very obvious fact that it has not yet been connected to any power source.

I exchange eye contact with Steven. There is a bemused look on his face and he holds up one finger to stop me from interfering. I turn back to Fez who is now sitting back against the couch staring angrily at the TV with one leg bouncing impatiently.

Finally, he speaks. "Kelso is with Angie. Laurie started cosmetology classes again today. Eric is on the road to who knows where." He pauses then points at the television. "And your TV is broken."

"Its not broken Fez, its just not set up yet." I move behind it and grab the wires to show him.

"Well, set it up already, dammit!" He looks back and forth between me and Hyde impatiently. "I've been bored all day."

Steven takes a step forward and I know he's about to throw Fez out, so I quickly maneuver myself in-between them. "If you're bored Fez, then would you be willing to help us settle an argument?"

"Jackie," Steven warns.

"Steven," I gripe back.

"Are you kidding?" Fez jumps up. "I live for settling domestic disputes!"

I am not entirely sure where that came from, but I don't question him. Instead I go in to explain our furniture dilemma, describing how both Steven and I want to arrange it and why. When I finish, Fez nods curiously and begins to pace the room. Steven expels a sigh and an eye roll. I playfully kick him in the shins.

"I agree with Jackie," Fez finally decides. _Yes_. "Just get curtains. Maybe something yellow to accent these tan walls. Plus it'll bring out the bit of yellow in this fabric." He moves his hand across the arm of the couch, pointing out the yellow.

I step towards Steven and plant both my hands across his chest. "Pwease?" I beg.

I should've just done this in the first place because he immediately caves. I sense a small smile tugging at the right corner of his lips as he maneuvers one arm around my shoulder.

"Fine," he says. "But I get to arrange the kitchen. Especially since I'll be the only to ever cook in it."

I slide my arms around his waist and squeeze him tightly. Then I give him a quick peck on the cheek. "You've got yourself a deal."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~MICHAEL KELSO~

I push open the door to Grooves, the bell above my head alerting Angie to my presence. She's standing behind the register, and when she sees me she smiles. I notice right away that this smile is different; more subdued than usual. But maybe if I ignore it, it'll be like it never happened.

"Hey, Angie, guess what?" I say from across the room. Then I rush over to her, excited. "I told my buddies at the police academy about your wicked burn on me during Jackie's show, and they totally want to meet you."

"Michael!"

"Yeah, they're right outside!" I jab my finger at the door where Joe, Andrew, and Chris are waiting.

I watch Angie's eyes dart nervously around the room. The store wasn't empty, but there were a few customers browsing through albums and loitering in The Pit.

"Come with me," Angie says, a note in her voice that I cannot identify. She grabs my arm and pulls me into the back office. For some hot action, I'm hoping. But as soon as she closes the door behind her, she blurts, "I just got a promotion. My dad says I've been doing such a great job that he wants me to move to Milwaukee and help run the corporate office."

I'm more than a little confused. It seems like there is more that Angie wants to say but the silence crackles between us. I wait a long moment, but Angie is still staring at me expectantly.

"Um, congrats!" I try to sound enthused. "Does that mean you don't want to meet my buddies?" I wonder if maybe that's what she was getting at.

Angie presses her lips into a thin line and her eyes drop to the floor. "Michael, the reason I told you that is because I want you to know that this promotion is _not_ the reason for what I'm going to say next."

I still wasn't sure what was going on, even as Angie grabs both my hands and looks back at me again. "I'm breaking up with you Michael."

"Wha-"

She removes one of her hands from mine and holds it up, effectively silencing me. "And I swear to you, it's not because I'm moving to Milwaukee." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "It's, well, it's actually because of that burn from the other night."

I swallow a lump in my throat. "I – I don't understand."

"Look, I know you and your friends were happy that I finally figured out how to 'do' a burn right. But honestly, I never felt more uncomfortable in my life while I was…pants-ing you. And I realized that spitting in my friend's fries and cutting their hair isn't really me."

I take a step back. Truth be told, I had a feeling Angie would break up with me one of these days. Her professionalism and sophistication almost always clashed with my care-free attitude, and the only time it didn't was when we had sex. And although it had taken me years and many mistakes with past girlfriends, I was realizing that girls usually cared about more than just sex.

But another thought was occurring to me. Our conflicting personalities didn't have to be an issue, even though it was. But I remembered that there was once a girl, intelligent and kind, who smiled every time I cracked a joke and believed I was capable of anything just as I was, without ever trying to change me.

"Congratulations, Angie." That's all I can say at this point. I wasn't sure what else needed to be said. Then I turn around and grab the handle of the door, pulling it open. But just as I am about to step through, Angie says my name once more.

I turn and look at her, waiting. She gives me a small, sad smile. "Thank you for the fun."

o-o-o

I needed a purpose. And soon.

After I left the record store, I went to the Forman's house, since that was the place we all went to when we were sad. Or happy. Or angry. Or basically when anything happened to any of us.

Only Mr. and Mrs. Forman were there, and for once Red says nothing as I sit down on the couch, but he was too busy yelling at his TV to bother with me.

After a few minutes, Donna bursts through the door from the kitchen. "Its 9:15. Has Eric called?"

Kitty looks up at Donna. "He didn't call you?"

"No."

I was curious about what was going on with Eric, but I was also so engrossed in the TV that I began to lose interest. I used my finger to plug one ear and quickly their voices faded to the background. But after a moment, Mr. and Mrs. Forman were both following Donna into the kitchen.

I manage to tear my attention away from the television. I didn't know much about what Forman was doing, other than he was getting out of town for a while. But Donna and Mrs. Forman seemed awfully worried about him. Did they think something happened to him?

If so, then they'd probably need a cop. Or well, a cop in training anyway. Looks like I'd found my purpose.

I run to catch up with them and find them piling into the Toyota. I climb in the back with Donna, once again surprised that Red doesn't put up much protest. I want to help so I immediately begin sharing theories, like we did at the academy when we were put into teams to try and solve a case.

"If Eric was trying to leave Point Place," I say. "Then he'd probably take the quickest way out. I think we should try I-94."

In front of me, Mrs. Forman nods her head. "That' s a good idea, Michael." When she speaks, I can hear the concern in her voice.

Next to me, Donna is biting her nails. Even Red, behind the wheel, was quiet as he tightly gripped the steering wheel. Soberly, I realized that if I used my police training, I could actually do something useful to help here. It was a strange feeling, being helpful, but it was one I was starting to realize was a big part of being a cop, and I was beginning to think I liked it.

We ride most of the way in silence. It was dark tonight, as most of the moon was covered by clouds, so all we had was the Toyota's headlights as guidance. But when they pass along the Vista Cruiser, pulled over in the dirt along the _YOU ARE NOW LEAVING POINT PLACE_ sign, there is a collective sigh of relief in the car.

But my police trained eyes notice something they must not, since it is not relief I feel. Instead I feel on edge because as the headlights passed across the Cruiser, I noticed that there was no one sitting inside.

When Red pulls over we all stumble out of the car and go investigate the Cruiser. I do my best to try and reassure them all. "Okay, I'm going to use my police academy training to figure out what happened here."

I find a flashlight in Red's glovebox. While Donna and Mrs. Forman continue bickering about Forman, I notice a few things. One, the flashlight that Eric usually kept stashed in the Cruiser was no longer there. Which meant it was probably after dark by the time he left. Second, there were at least two sets of footprints walking away from the Cruiser, which had a flat tire.

"Hey Red, check this out!" I point the flashlight to the footprints that continue down the side of the road. "He must've gone to find a phone or something," I explain. I don't mention the two sets of prints though. Until we knew more, I wasn't going to worry Mrs. Forman over nothing. "He took his flashlight, which means it was probably dark by the time he left, so he couldn't've gotten far."

Red heads back to his Toyota. "Okay, let's go see if there is a gas station or something down the road."

Turns out, there was no gas station, but there was a small restaurant, Cindy's Diner, less than a mile down the road. We all move single-file into the cramped diner. At this late hour, the tables were filled with truck drivers who sleepily sipped coffee and ate pie.

I turn around to Mrs. Forman and Donna and whisper to them. "All right, this type of establishment is well known to criminals, okay? So, I want you to stay close and if there's any trouble, I'm going to use you guys as a human shield."

Kitty, who had been hanging onto every word I said suddenly took a step back, shocked.

"I'm kidding." I give her a kind smile. "It's my job to protect you, remember? I'm the cop. Just trying to lighten the mood."

After all, I wouldn't be me if I didn't crack a joke.

Slowly I start to walk by the tables, inspecting each customer for signs of skittish-ness and nervous energy. I hadn't forgotten that second set of footsteps back at the car. But when no one jumps out at me as particularly suspicious, I make my way to the front counter where a middle-aged, silver-haired waitress with crow's feet around her eyes wipes a counter.

"What can I get for you?" She says without looking up. She looked like she needed a smoke.

I clear my throat to get her attention. When she lifts her head, I flash my shield, quickly enough so that she doesn't notice it's only a cadet badge. "Officer Kelso. Mind if I ask you a few questions?" I try to make my voice seem a little gruff.

"What do you want to know?" She finishes wiping the counter and rests her hand on her hip.

I take a seat on one of the barstools. "Did you or anyone else here tonight see an eighteen-year-old boy, tall and skinny with brown hair?" I ask. "He might've been desperate, needing to make a phone call or something?"

The woman concentrates. "Yeah, and he had no money either," she says bitterly. "He left about 15 minutes ago, said he had to walk back to his car. Said it had a flat tire or something."

That had to be Forman. I stand up, ready to thank her, when I remember something. "Was he with anyone, by any chance?"

The waitress smiles and chuckles to herself. "Yeah, as a matter of fact he was. Some older guy. He had long, graying hair."

I wasn't sure who that could be, but if he were dangerous, I'm sure the waitress would've said something.

"Thank you…" I search for her nametag. "Pam. On second thought, can I get some chocolate ice cream to go?"

o-o-o

I stood back and watched the happy reunion while shoveling spoonfuls of that delicious homemade ice cream into my mouth. Eric exchanged hugs with his mom and Donna while Red stroked the hood of the Cruiser. Just as I'm about to ask Eric about his companion, Leo steps out from behind the car. Mystery solved.

"Leo?" Donna, Mr. and Mrs. Forman ask in unison.

"Hey, it's great to see you guys," Leo says.

"Man, it's great to see you, Leo," I say from behind him.

Startled, Leo turns around to face me. "So, do I know you, man?"

Eric steps forward. "Leo, that's Kelso."

Leo walks over to Eric and Mrs. Forman walks over to me. She rests her hand on one of my arms. "Thank you, Michael. If it weren't for you, we might not have found Eric at all." She nods appreciatively. "Please, if there is anything Red and I can do to thank you, let me know."

"Actually, there is one thing," I say quickly. "When we get back to your house, can I borrow your phone?"

"Of course." Mrs. Forman tilts her head to one side. "Who are you going to call?"

Tonight things had started coming together for me. It had started when Angie broke up with me. Truly, I was happy she was getting her dream job, but her breaking up with me also made me realize that I was more than the hot but stupid boyfriend who was only good at sex. I remembered that I was becoming a cop not just to keep my good looks, but because I really liked to help people, and with my charming attitude and good humor, I felt like I could really contribute something. I hadn't felt that way in a long time, and there was only one person who truly did make me feel that way.

I smile at Mrs. Forman. "I want to call Brooke."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

I step back as Steven and I let go of our new mattress and watch it bounce onto the box spring. I had no idea where the sheets we had bought for our new queen-sized bed – no more sharing a single between the two of us! – had gone in this mess of boxes, but right now I was so exhausted after a day of moving that I didn't care.

"Let's go check on Fez," I say after a moment. Steven nods and we make our way to the kitchen.

After Steven had decided where he wanted everything to go in the kitchen, Fez had agreed to help by putting things away for us. We didn't have much for food yet, but Mrs. Forman had kindly bought us a dining set, complete with silverware, glasses, dishes and bowls, which is what Fez was currently putting away.

Fez looks up at us when we arrive. "One dish left!" He holds it up, unwraps it from the newspaper, and places it in the cabinet.

"Great, well, we're going to be heading back to Point Place soon," Steven announces. "So you can go ahead and get going."

"Oh, I don't mind helping out a bit more," Fez says genuinely.

Steven looks over at me expectantly. I knew he was trying to kick Fez out so we could have a little alone time before we left.

"Um, Fez," I think fast. "Laurie's probably finished her classes for the day. I'm sure she wants to see you and tell you all about it."

This grabs Fez's attention. "Yes, I am sure," he says. "But are you sure you don't need any more help? There's still the bathroom, and – "

Steven clears his throat impatiently. "We've got it from here Fez."

"But thank you," I add, buffering Steven's hostility.

"All right, well," Fez shrugs. "Thanks for letting me help out. Let me know if you need help finishing tomorrow, or whenever."

Steven walks him to the door. "Sure thing man. Good night," Steven says, shutting the door before Fez has a chance to reply.

I stand there in the middle of the room, silently chuckling to myself. "You know, we should at least finish the bedroom tonight." I wave my hand to the bedroom door.

Steven steps toward me, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Oh, that's exactly what I plan on doing. Come on, we have a new bed to go break in."

I laugh out loud, but grab Steven's hand and follow him into the bedroom. The realization that this was our own bedroom with our mattress in our own private place suddenly hits me, and I quickly grow filled with lust. It didn't even matter that there were boxes on the floor and no sheets on the bed.

Steven pulls his shirt over his head and tosses his shades on the bedside table before moving against me and bringing his lips down onto mine. He reaches for the hem of my shirt and once it's off, I move my hands to his chest and shove him backwards onto the mattress. He grabs me by the waist of my jeans and pulls me on top of him. I burst out giggling and begin to knead my hands through his hair as he wraps his arms around me and reaches for my bra strap.

Piece by piece more clothing makes its way off our bodies and flung across the floor as Steven and I explore each other's bodies that we had long since memorized every detail of, from every muscle, to every tender spot and every freckle.

"Please make love to me in our apartment," I whisper in Steven's ear between shaky breaths. He shifts on top of me and responds by simply bringing his lips back to my own and the rest of his body closer to mine as well.

It is breathtaking as always, but I feel young and independent and alive in a way that I never have before. Because this was my life with Steven starting now, and we could live with and love each other however we wanted, whenever we wanted. It was blissful freedom of love, pure and simple.

When it is over, I rest my head over Steven's rapidly beating heart, one leg tucked between his, wanting to be as close to him as possible. "This is our life now," I murmur.

"Not so bad," comes his response.

I prop myself up on one elbow so I can look Steven in the eye. "Are you still scared? About the future, I mean."

Steven turns his head to better face me. His breath mingles with my own. I can just barely make out his eyes with the light from the moon pouring through the window.

He doesn't hesitate in his answer. "Yes, but as long as it's with you I know it'll be okay." He brings a hand to my cheek and I nuzzle into it.

"I love you so much, Steven," I whisper. "More than words can say."

Steven cranes his neck and rests his lips against my forehead. "I know," he says against my skin. His thumb moves back and forth across my cheek. I tighten my grasp around his waist. The last words I hear before Steven and I spend our first night in our new apartment are, "I love you with all my heart too."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~ERIC FORMAN~

After going home to retrieve the Cruiser's spare tire – as it turned out, I had been right about it not being in the car – my dad climbs back into his Toyota with my mom. "You're taking the hippie and the other two," he says before turning around and not looking back.

I shuffle over to the Cruiser. "All right, let's go home everyone."

Donna stands next to me. "So you are coming home?" she asks.

I say nothing as I open the passenger door for her then make my way over to the driver's side. Kelso and Leo take the back and are deeply engrossed in what appears to be Patty Cake. Once in the car, I look over at Donna.

"Yes, I'm going home." I nod.

"Well, I'm glad. You were only gone a few hours and I was already missing you like crazy," Donna says as she rests a hand on my knee.

"I missed you too Donna, but…" I think about what exactly it is I want to say. "Look, I mean I'll always be grateful that I got to grow up in Point Place, like, it'll always be my home, you know, but I really need to get out of here." I pause. Donna nods at me, encouraging me to continue.

I stare at the road in front of me and drive for a few moments in silence. In the back it sounded like Kelso and Leo were now playing thumb wars. When I do speak again, I lower my voice so only Donna can hear, not that I think the idiots in the backseat were even listening.

"This town, it just sucks you in. Or well, it sucks _me_ in, anyway. If I learned anything today it's that if I'm going to achieve anything, I will have to leave Point Place to do it."

Now Donna speaks. "So, what're you going to do?"

"I think I'll try the college thing again," I blurt.

"Oh," Donna says, surprised. "Well, that's great Eric, you already got into UWM so – "

I chuckle. "Well, the thing about that is…you know how I decided to defer a year?"

"Yes," Donna says cautiously.

"I never actually filled out any of the paperwork for that, so they revoked my acceptance," I admit. "But, I plan on re-applying."

Donna didn't falter. "And I'm sure that if you got in once, you'll get in again."

I continue sharing all the ideas that had occurred to me over the course of the night. I'd had a lot of time to think, what with walking to and from Cindy's Diner and everything else in-between. Donna remained firmly supportive of my plans and even seemed excited for not just me, but our future. It'd been a long time, I realized, since I saw her that way.

"I'll probably start as a General Studies major," I continue. "Take all kinds of classes until I find what really interests me."

"Hey, maybe you can even take a couple classes with me," Donna suggests. I look at her and smile. She scoots across the seat to get closer to me. "We'll figure this out, Eric. I promise."

I put on my blinker. "I know." Then I turn my car to the left, pulling into the driveway. We were home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The next chapter, "Oh, Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin')" will be posted the day the episode it is based off of aired, **March 9th** (today).


	9. Oh, Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin')

~MICHAEL KELSO~

"Michael, thanks again for watching Betsy," Brooke says to me as she rolls Betsy's stroller back and forth in the Forman driveway. "Everyone else was busy."

"Thanks for trusting me," I say in return.

After I'd called Brooke that night that Eric went missing, she was thrilled that I wanted to spend time with my daughter. She was still living with her mother in Chicago, but said she'd be in Point Place in a couple days to run some errands and said that I could watch her then.

"Yeah. It's my first time. I'm pretty nervous," I explain to Leo, who inexplicably had shown up out of nowhere, as he seemed to be doing a lot lately. "I tried on three outfits."

Brooke gives me a reassuring pat on the arm. "No, you guys will be great." She smiles. "All little girls love their daddies. Plus, I'll bet you probably like a lot of the same toys."

Then Brooke glances down at her watch. "Oh, I'm late." She reaches down in the stroller to pick up Betsy. "Oh, yes. Hi. Bye-bye Betsy-pie. Mommy loves you," she coos. "Yes she does. Yes she does!"

"Hey, what errands are you running today anyway?" I ask Brooke as she says her farewell to Betsy.

Brooke shifts uncomfortably. "Oh, just…you know. Boring meetings and stuff." She extends Betsy out to me. "Oh, look. Somebody wants to say hi to her daddy!"

I take hold of my daughter, shifting her in my arms so that she could face Brooke. "I'll see you later Betsy," she resumes using that baby voice again. "Be good for Daddy." Then she stands up straight and looks me in the eye. "Thank you, Michael."

Once Brooke leaves, I make my way down to the Forman basement with Betsy. No way I was going to bring my daughter back to my house with my brothers there. Forman and Donna are down there watching TV.

"Guys, check it out. Brooke finally let me take care of Betsy!" I bring her over to my friends. "We're gonna stay here for the day, okay? I don't want to bring her around my brothers, "I explain.

I sit down on the couch next to Donna. "Oh, Kelso, she's so precious!" Donna reaches out and lets Betsy play with her fingers. Even Eric comes over and peers over my shoulder at Betsy.

"Hey, where's Fez?" I ask. "I want him to meet my baby," I say proudly.

"Oh, he's at work." Donna explains. I give her a quizzical look. Fez had a job? "Yeah, he got a job washing hair or something at the hair salon associated with Laurie's cosmetology school. I guess they're pretty serious about being together." Donna shrugs.

I'm about to say something when Betsy lets out a long wail. I glance down at her nervously. I watch as her face turns red and tears fill her tiny eyes. Then the screaming sobs begin. I momentarily freeze. I hadn't expected her to start crying so soon.

"Umm," I shift Betsy in my arms and reach down into her cooler and grab a bottle. "Maybe she's hungry," I say, thinking out loud. I hold the bottle to her mouth and she violently turns her head away.

After a diaper change, a burping, and being given her favorite teddy bear (according to Brooke), Betsy is still crying. After I show her the bear, she stops for a moment, but then immediately begins screaming again. I try rocking her, and then Donna tries rocking her but still she cries.

"I think my baby hates me," I admit solemnly.

"She does not, Kelso," Donna says, handing Betsy back to me. "She's just a baby. They cry. That's what they do."

Just then the phone rings. Forman answers it then holds it out to me. "It's Brooke," he says.

"What – what do I say?" I look to Donna for help.

Donna gives me a reassuring pat on the arm. "Just tell her the truth."

The truth. Well, the truth was my baby either hated me or I just didn't know how to take care of her. Either way, Brooke would know that I wasn't suited for this and would probably never let me take care of her again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~KITTY FORMAN~

The building which housed the auto show was packed with vendors, food carts, photo booths, and, well… cars. Near the front entrance is a blue car (what kind, I could never tell), gaudily decorated with yellow and orange flames. Nearby, two young ladies scantily clad in tight little shorts and bathing suit tops held various tools and smiled in front of a camera. A giant display of tires forming a pyramid is situated in a corner near a funnel cake booth.

Men and their cars. I had come to accept that fact that I would never understand it. But I was glad that Red asked for me to join him again. It really meant a lot that he wanted to share this day with me. Every year he looked forward to the Kenosha Auto Show, often referring to it as " _the most wonderful day of the year_ ". And the fact that he chose me to share that day with, well, that always managed to make me smile.

This year, Jackie and Steven are tagging along with us. I hadn't really been aware that Jackie was all that interested in cars until she started working for Red at his shop. But I watch as she eagerly tugs on Steven's arms and points to the tower of tires. At first I think she is pointing to the funnel cake, but then I hear her say something about Steven's El Camino and realize she must be talking cars with him.

I turn to Red. "So, what first Red?" I turn and find that my husband had disappeared.

Well, that had to be a record.

The one small detail I forgot to mention…Red had a habit of disappearing in the crowd at these shows. I turn back to the kids and bitterly watch as they hold hands as we walk through the crowd.

"Well, mine's gone." I tell Jackie. "I give yours about 30 seconds."

Beside Jackie, Steven shakes his head. "Nope. All right, Jackie. So let's start off looking at those new tires. Then after lunch you can help me pick out an obnoxiously loud car stereo."

"Wait, you're gonna spend the day with Jackie?" I ask, confused.

Steven gives me a look, like he's surprised I'd suggest anything otherwise. "Yeah, man. She's my chick." Then he looks at his girlfriend. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get us a funnel cake."

Once he leaves I watch as a giant grin spreads across Jackie's face. Despite my twinge of jealousy, it's nice to see the young girl show such unharnessed joy. She had gone through so much. "I'm his chick," she giggles.

I smile to myself. Rather than being jealous, I chose to focus on that fact that Steven made Jackie feel that same way Red makes me feel. Jackie and I make our way to a bench to wait for Steven, and hopefully Red, to return. But when Steven shows up before Red I begin to grow impatient.

"One funnel cake, extra sugar," he passes the plate to Jackie and then sits down next to her.

I watch silently for a moment as Jackie rips off a piece and feeds it to her boyfriend. I can't help it, I feel the jealously reach up again. I hated being jealous, after all, they were just kids.

"Did you see Red?" I finally blurt, looking to Steven.

He shifts uncomfortable. "He didn't come back yet? That's weird, he was in front of me in the funnel cake line." He looks around.

Just as I am standing up to scan the room for my husband, he shows up in front of me, carrying a funnel cake and grinning like a fool.

"Red Forman, where have you been?" I demand.

The smile immediately falls from his lips. "The funnel cake line was long, and then some dumbass bumped into me and knocked the first one out of my hand. So I had to get back in line so I could get you another one."

Immediately all my anger fades away and instead my heart fills with warmth. "Oh, Red!" I reach on my tiptoes and he bends forward so I can give him a kiss. "You're just the sweetest."

"Mrs. Forman thought you ditched her," Jackie pipes in.

"What?" Red looks back and forth between me and the brunette girl. "Kitty, I brought you here so we could spend some time together." Red reaches an arm behind my head and pulls me into his side. "After all, you're my chick."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~MICHAEL KELSO~

It had taken hours of frustration and tears (not just Betsy's tears), but my baby girl had finally fallen asleep in my arms. And I knew without a doubt that all the heartache and confusion was worth getting to experience this now.

Just then the door to the basement swings open and Brooke pops in, a huge grin overcoming her face the minute she sees Betsy asleep in my arms. I can't help it though, a twinge of sadness tugs on my chest. I wasn't ready for Brooke to leave with my daughter yet.

"Oh, there's my baby girl." Brooke quietly walks over to where I sit on the couch. "Mommy missed you." Brooke softly rubs the top of Betsy's head and she grins softly in her sleep.

"Yeah, I don't want to let her go." I tear my gaze from Betsy so I can look at Brooke. "Turns out, all I needed to do was sing. She was out in a matter of minutes," I whisper.

"Look at her smiling," Brooke beams as I pass her the sleeping baby. "Oh, I'm so happy she loves her daddy."

"Hey, listen," I say impulsively when I see Brooke pick up Betsy's bag. "I know I haven't been around much, but that's gonna change. 'Cause she's my girl and I wanna know her."

"Michael…" Brooke's smile grows wider, if possible. "That would be awesome. Will you grab her stuff and help me put her in the car?"

"Yeah, here." I grab the cooler and open the door for Brooke.

I follow her outside. It's a frigid March afternoon and I wish I remembered to bring my coat. At least Betsy was all covered. Brooke's car is parked on the side of the road. I wait for her to pop the trunk before placing the cooler in there. Then I grab the bag from Brooke and place it in the trunk as well. I wait for her to finish buckling up Betsy in her baby seat. Once she finishes that I clear my throat.

"Yes, Michael?" Brooke looks at me curiously.

I look at my daughter through the window. I needed to find the courage to say these next words if not for me, for her.

"I just wanna thank you again for letting me watch her today." I point at the car. "There's a lot of things that I do… or don't do, and end up regretting later. I don't wanna regret missing out on her life. I already regret not trying harder for us."

Brooke tilts her head to the side and her hair rushes down her shoulder and into her face. She swipes it back quickly. "Michael…" she hesitates. I watch her silently as she purses her lips as though considering her words very carefully. Then she takes a short breath and before I know it she has closed the distance between us, planted her hands softly on either side of my face and has brought her lips to mine.

It's a quick, delicate kiss. But its not the kiss of a friend either. It's a kiss of longing and hope and possibility.

When she pulls away, far too soon, she rocks back on her heels. "What if I were to tell you that maybe it's not too late for us?" She looks nervous.

"Wait, what?" I'm reeling.

Brooke lets out a sigh, but she cannot contain her grin. "My mom has helped me a lot in Chicago. But… I'm ready to come back home. I'm moving back into my apartment." Brooke shrugs. "Oh, and that meeting today. It was about getting my librarian job back."

Words fail me and instead I reach my arms around Brooke, pulling her into a hug. She laughs softly and manages to wrap her arms around my waist in turn.

"Do…do you think, maybe we could, like, you know, go on a date sometime?" I ask her once we break apart. "Once, you're all settled in and stuff."

"I'd like that," Brooke nods. "We'll have to find a babysitter for – "

"Mrs. Forman!" I practically shout, but I can't help it, I'm excited. "She'd love to do that. Watch Betsy."

"Okay!" Brooke says, sharing my enthusiasm. "And maybe we can do something with Betsy together next week?"

"Sure. And I can help you move back in if you want."

"That would be great."

We say our goodbyes and I skip back to the Forman basement.

o-o-o

Already I start making plans. Brooke, Betsy and I could go to the toy store at the mall maybe. There was a nice park near the police academy, but it was too cold to go for a stroll. That would have to wait for spring. I wanted to take Brooke on a classy date too. We'd gone to a restaurant before, but that was on a double date with Jackie and Hyde which had worked out miserably. Maybe we could try that again and go see a movie too.

When I get down to the basement, there is still no one there. Immediately bored, I pull out my wallet and start counting how much money I had. There was $60 in my wallet. I think I had at least $100 more in my sock drawer at home. Unless Casey had gotten to it. I wanted to buy Betsy a present. A crib. The kind with wheels so that we could go crib sledding down the hall.

A twisted feeling pulls on my gut. Something wasn't right about that image. Not the crib, Betsy was still young enough to sleep in one. Suddenly I realize: It's the house. The hallway was filled with my brothers' dart boards, and I could never keep them out of my room, especially Casey.

There was no way I could ever bring Betsy to live in that house. If I wanted to spend more time with my baby…then I was going to have to get a place of my own. And soon.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The next chapter, "Who's Been Sleeping Here?", will be posted on the day the episode it is based on aired: **March 23**.


	10. Who's Been Sleeping Here?

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter. I just briefly wanted to take the time to thank each and every one of you who has read and left a review. I am very behind on replies to those, as I have been dealing with some stuff, but hope to get back to replying to those eventually. Just please know how much I appreciate your thoughts, and they always make me smile!

* * *

~MICHAEL KELSO~

I shift Betsy on my hip so that I can use my free arm to shove open the door to the basement. Thankfully, all my friends are already down there, and when they turn to look at me, I hold up my daughter.

"You guys, I just took my baby girl to the playground, and she's just like her daddy. She's way cuter than all the other babies."

Everyone chuckles except for Jackie. She's wearing an expression of surprise. "Wow, Michael," she starts, "you've spent every weekend this month with Betsy. The only other thing you've done this consistently was cheat on me."

Ignoring her dig at the end there, I smile, knowing that the decision that I've made, the decision of making Jackie Betsy's godmother was a good one. She was already invested, having noted all the times I've spent with her.

Hyde pipes in. "That's not true. He also glues himself to stuff with amazing regularity."

Jackie turns to face her boyfriend and smiles. Yes. This was the right decision.

"Whatever," I say, ignoring everyone's comments. I have more important things to say.

I take a seat in the lawn chair with Betsy, adjusting my hold so that I can best support her neck. She clutches her lilac-colored blanket, the one I had bought for her before my date with Brooke last night.

When I had met Brooke at the restaurant, I had given her the blanket for Betsy, explaining how I picked it out to match her favorite rattle that Brooke had told me about which was also purple.

She had taken it with a smile, folding it into her purse. When she looked back at me, she looked contemplative. Finally, she spoke. "Michael, I've been thinking…"

Immediately my heart had dropped to my stomach. She was going to call things off, say that this was a mistake or something. I scratched the back of my neck, disappointedly. I had been looking forward to this dinner. Eric and Donna had told me about this place, saying that it was very romantic with good food without being overpriced. It was also close to the movie theater, which is where Brooke and I were headed next…or well, maybe not anymore.

"Would you like to pick Betsy's godparents?" She asked me.

My neck had snapped up so quickly that I felt it spasm. "Wait, what?"

Brooke further explained herself. "Yeah, you have lots of really close friends, and they'll get to know Betsy better than most my friends that moved away after school…what do you think?"

"Absolutely," the words had flown out of my mouth.

"Just one rule," Brooke said. "Not Fez. He's great, but I want Betsy to have both a godmother and godfather, and Fez is the only one of your friends who hasn't been in a stable, long-term relationship."

I'd agreed. That left Forman and Donna or Hyde and Jackie. I'd contemplated my decision all night, but had ultimately decided on Jackie and Hyde, for several reasons. Jackie I knew was incredibly loving as she had loved me and forgiven me for much more than I deserved. And even though she was my ex-girlfriend, something about her relationship with Hyde just made sense to me. It was why I tried helping them get back together that time. It was something about how they as two people had fallen in love despite all their differences and obstacles and obviously made each other all the better for it. If something ever happened to Brooke and me, that's what I would want Betsy to grow up with.

So with my decision made, I take a breath and break the news to my friends.

"Look, Brooke is totally starting to trust me with Betsy, and she's letting me pick out Betsy's godparents. And she only has one rule: it can't be Fez. Sorry buddy," I look at my friend. He shrugs, and I make a mental note to tell him why later on. Eric and Donna are muttering something to each other, but I continue to speak.

"Okay, so I've been thinking about this a lot, all right? And it's a big deal so…Hyde and Jackie. Will you be Betsy's godparents?"

Eric and Donna immediately start complaining, as I expected, but I'm watching Hyde and Jackie closely. Jackie visibly brightens, sitting up high on Hyde's lap and her grin practically spreads from ear to ear. And although Hyde is subtle with his emotions, I see his eyebrows rise underneath his shades and a faint grin twitch at his lips.

"Really, Michael?" Jackie asks and I nod. She turns to Hyde and they exchange some kind of silent communication, then Jackie looks back at me. "We'd love to be Betsy's godparents."

o-o-o

A few hours later I meet up with Fez at Grooves, where I expected him to be. I wasn't sure why, but it seemed like he spent more time at the record store than Hyde did. He is sitting in The Pit, headphones covering his ears, bopping his head back and forth to the music and doing that weird thing where he rubs his index finger and thumb back and forth like he's playing some weird, foreign instrument.

"Hey, Fez," I bump him on the shoulder and sit next to him on the couch. He pulls off the headphones. "What's up buddy?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing," he shrugs. "Going on a date later with Laurie. Although, I'm getting hungry for lunch…" he drifts off as he turns around to glance at the clock.

I stand up. "C'mon. I'm sure Mrs. Forman will feed us. Plus, there's something I wanted to tell you."

Fez rises and joins me silently as we make our way to my car. We climb in my car and I tug on my coat as I turn the ignition. I couldn't wait for the warm weather to return so I could pull down the hood on this baby and enjoy the wind. Unfortunately, not even I was stupid enough to try that stunt in this weather. It was already below freezing at high noon.

"So Fez, man." I pull out of the parking lot. "I totally would've picked you to be Betsy's godparent, but Brooke wouldn't let me."

I brace myself for Fez's reaction. He doesn't make a scene, like I'd expect, but I do hear a bit of sadness in his voice when he speaks. "Brooke doesn't like me?"

"No, no. It's nothing like that. She just wanted me to pick people in a solid, long-lasting relationship," I explain.

"Laurie and I are in a wonderful relationship, thank you very much!" Now Fez starts to get worked up. "Just because Eric and Donna have been together since they were basically in diapers doesn't mean – "

"I picked Hyde and Jackie, remember?" I interrupt. We pull up to a red light and I take the opportunity to look over at Fez. "Look, I know you really like Laurie and all, but these were Brooke's rules. But if you and Laurie stick with it, then you're totally on the list if impregnate Brooke a second time."

"Why _did_ you pick Jackie and Hyde?" Fez asks curiously.

Not this again. At least he wasn't sad or angry anymore.

"Because I did! And I'm tired of getting weird looks 'cause of it." The light turns green and I'm forced to return my attention back to the road.

"Hey, it doesn't bother me, brother." Fez pauses. "It's a beautiful burn on Eric and Donna too."

Before I know it we're on the Forman's street. I park across the street and we make our way across the yard and into the kitchen through the sliding door. As I expected, Kitty is working away in the kitchen.

"Hello boys!" Kitty beams. "Lunch?" She holds up a plate of cold cuts. "We're having sandwiches. You're welcome to join us."

"Thanks Mrs. Forman," Fez says and pulls out a chair. I sit next to him.

"So, how have you boys been?" Kitty brings us each a plate full of food, just as Red walks into the kitchen from the living room.

"Aww, Kitty. That was supposed to be _my_ sandwich. And you gave it to kettlehead?" He points at me.

Kitty rolls her eyes and pats Red on the shoulder. "Have a seat. I have a sandwich for you right here. As I was saying, how are you boys?"

I wait until Kitty joins us at the table to speak. "Okay. Brooke is giving me more responsibility with Betsy. I got to pick her godparents and – "

"He chose Jackie and Hyde," Fez whispers. He is leaning forward like he has just shared a piece of juicy gossip.

"I know!" Kitty nods eagerly. "Jackie ran through here earlier. She bought matching outfits for herself and Betsy. Steven was behind her. He pretended to look annoyed but," Kitty pops a chip in her mouth and wags her finger knowingly, "I could just tell he was excited too. That was a nice thing you did, Michael."

"Wait, you're not mad that I didn't choose your own son?" I ask.

"Of course not, sweetie!" Kitty reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "Betsy is your daughter and you made the right decision for your family. And anyways, Eric can sometimes be, well…what's the word I'm looking for Red?"

"A dumbass?" He offers, showing off his evil grin.

Kitty gives him a stern look. "I should've known you would say that," she grumbles.

"Yeah I bought a crib for Betsy too. Hopefully Brooke will let me keep her some nights if I can find a safe place to stay with her." I wipe some mayonnaise from the corner of my lips with a napkin. An idea occurs to me. "Hey, can we stay in Laurie's room? It'll only be for a couple of nights here and there."

"No," Red says sternly.

"But I need – "

"No."

"Fine."

Kitty lets out her signature giggle, breaking the tension.

"What about me?" Fez pipes up. "My host parents kicked me out, can I stay in Laurie's room?"

Before I have time to react, Red points his finger across the table to Fez. "I'd rather fill the room with cement."

"Wait, your host parents kicked you out?" I ask. This was news to me.

"It took them a while, but once they realized I graduated from high school…" Fez shrugs. "I've been slimming it at Grooves," he mutters.

"Well here's an idea!" Kitty carefully places her sandwich on her plate and then gestures excitedly between Fez and me. "You two should get a place together."

"Like…roommates?" I ask.

"Exactly. Isn't that a good idea, Red?" Kitty turns to her husband.

"As long as no more dumbasses move into this house, I think it's a good idea." Red swallows his last piece of sandwich and rises from the table. As he is leaving, Jackie and Hyde enter the kitchen from the driveway and Jackie takes Red's seat.

"What's going on?" Hyde asks casually, taking a seat on one of the bar stools.

Fez clears his throat. "Kelso, Betsy, and I are going to be roommates," he announces proudly.

Jackie gasps and swivels in her chair to look at me. "Steven and I are still the godparents, right?" I nod reassuringly. "Okay, good. I didn't want to have to return the godparent friendship necklaces I bought for me and Betsy today."

"Speaking of godparent stuff," I recall. "Brooke wanted me to ask you guys if you could go see her to sign the paperwork at the library today. She's there until five."

"Yeah, she called earlier," Hyde pipes in. "We're going to see her now. Jackie?" Hyde hops out of his seat and walks over to the table, reaching from behind Mrs. Forman to grab a potato chip from the bowl on the table.

"Yeah, let's go." Jackie rises, grabbing her purse and heading for the back door. Before she opens it though, she turns abruptly, a contemplative look crossing her fingers. She looks at her boyfriend. "Should I tell them?" she whispers.

"Tell them what?" Hyde whispers back. Jackie's eyes flicker back and forth between mine and Fez's, then she leans into Hyde's ear and whispers something so we cannot hear. When she leans back, Hyde let's out a sigh, followed by a shrug. "We'll probably regret it, but it's the right thing to do…or whatever."

Jackie steps around Hyde and comes back over to the table. "Michael and Fez. If you're looking for an apartment, there's a two-bedroom vacancy available for rent at the complex where Steven and I are going to live. It's a good location and reasonable rent. You should check it out. Open house is today."

Then, without another word, Jackie spins on her heel, grabbing Hyde by the arm and together they both disappear out the door.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

We find Brooke standing behind the checkout counter at the library, talking with a patron as she stamps the back of the book. We wait quietly at the other end of the counter, and I take the opportunity to look around. I hadn't been to this library too often. I only ever visited the library to get books for research papers I had to write for school, and usually Point Place High's library had what I needed. But this library was nice. It had a cozy feel to it, and I could already imagine myself escaping to this place when I started college, on those days when the university library was busy.

Lost in my daydream, I almost miss it when Brooke summons us behind the counter. She opens the gate for us and motions for us to follow her into a back room. Here we find Betsy sleeping away in her playpen. I want to hold her, but I don't want to wake her either. So I just admire her from afar.

"Thanks for stopping by," Brooke says as she reaches for her book bag. "I know I told you that I had some paperwork for the godparent thing, but that's not entirely true." There is a slight note of tension in Brooke's voice.

Steven must notice it too, because he responds to her words cautiously. "What's going on Brooke?"

I think she realizes she has put us on edge, because she immediately protests. "No, no…nothing bad. I just wanted to ask you guys something else." Brooke takes a seat at the conference table in the corner of the room and motions for us to sit as well.

"So, I know Michael asked you to be Betsy's godparents. There's actually no paperwork for that. _This_ paperwork," Brooke pulls a small stack of paper from her bag, "is for who we chose to be Betsy's guardians in case something happens to me and Michael. I was talking to him last night, and I think he confused the two terms. But we both agreed that we'd like to ask you to also be Betsy's legal guardians in the event both of us are unable to care for her."

Brooke slides the papers across the table to us, then rises. "Please, take your time to decide if this is something you want to do. Michael and I both know it's a huge responsibility, so we won't be offended if you say no." Then she gives us our privacy, heading back out to the counter, closing the door behind her.

"Wow," I say and the word practically booms in this quiet room. "What do you think?" I ask Steven.

Steven is quiet for a long moment. Then he scoots his chair closer to mine and rests his hand on my knee. "Jackie…why do you think I agreed to be Betsy's godfather?"

I am surprised by the question. But the truth was, I had been surprised by Steven's willingness to be Betsy's godfather. So I answer him truthfully. "I don't know. I thought maybe you liked the burn on Eric and Donna. Or you just agreed because you knew I wanted you to."

Steven nods his head and squeezes my knee. "I figured that's what you thought." There is a hint of disappointment in his voice.

I tilt my head. "Is it not?"

"Jackie…" Steven draws his hand from my knee, leaving me feeling cold. But he just uses that hand to remove his shades before putting it back on my knee. "I grew up with parents who really didn't give a shit about me. You struggled with your parents' love as well. By being Betsy's godfather, I can make sure she will never have to feel the way you or I did."

I sit up and rest my hand over his. "I'm sorry. I should've known better."

Steven is unfazed. "And what's worse – I didn't have any legal guardians. When the Forman's took me in, they almost didn't get to keep me. I was almost put in foster care, but Mrs. Forman worked something out. If they had been my legal guardians, then that wouldn't've happened."

"I had no idea," I admit. "But…but I understand." I nod reassuringly. "And this is something I want to do to."

I stand up, and reach across the table to the pile of papers. I flip through them quickly. There were a lot of pages, but Brooke had meticulously highlighted the important parts for us to read and had placed sticky notes next to each place we were supposed to sign.

As I reach for the pen I glance up at Steven. He hasn't moved. But his gaze is focused on Betsy. Suddenly, I know this is the right thing to do, not only for Betsy, but for Steven.

Although I'd had it rough with my parents, I hadn't had it nearly as bad as Steven had. I'd never had to handle the physical and verbal abuse Bud, Edna, and Edna's boyfriends had subjected Steven too. So it had been enough for me to simply confide in Steven and find comfort in the motherly and fatherly way the Forman's treated me. But I could tell the Steven still struggled. And perhaps this responsibility was what he needed to focus his attention on the good and allow him to productively move on from his past.

So while he is busy watching Betsy, I skim through the parts Brooke highlighted for me to read, and sign my name where it is needed. When I am finished, I slide the stack of papers to Steven, but don't call for his attention. When he finally does turn back to me, he wordlessly grabs the pen and signs through the paperwork.

When he is done he looks at me. His clear blues eyes have a lightness to them that I have never seen before. He smiles and I sense that his heart is smiling too.

"We've done a good thing," I say softly.

Steven nods. "I know."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~MICHAEL KELSO~

I rush through the doors of the library eager to tell Brooke my good news. She's standing behind the counter, flipping through a book. It was early evening, the time when Brooke said the library got pretty quiet. People were home from work, having dinner with their families. It usually picked up again later on.

"Hey Brooke," I say at full volume since no one else is in sight.

She stands up, surprised to see me, but still gives me that scold librarian look that says "Library voice!".

I move behind the counter to join her and hoist myself on top of the it. "So, I've got some good news," I start.

"I bet its not as good as the news I have to share with you," she says. Brooke reaches and takes both my hands, taking a deep breath. She speaks again before I can. "I want to ask you to move in with me."

All words halt in my throat. This completely destroyed the news I was going to share with her – that Fez and I just paid the first month's rent for our apartment down the hall from Jackie and Hyde.

So, needless to say, I surprise even myself when the word "yes" flies from my throat, easy and effortless.

"Really?" Brooke asks, her eyes widening.

"Yes," I say again, sure this time.

I realize that living with Brooke was what I had probably wanted all along. Although our situation was not ideal, I knew without a doubt that Brooke and Betsy were the people that I would love for the rest of my life.

"Okay!" Brooke laughs. "Well now that that is settled, what did you want to tell me?"

"Um," I stall. There was no way I could tell her about the apartment now. "The petting zoo is coming to town and I think we should take Betsy."

"That sounds like a great idea, Michael." Brooke smiles and it's the whole world. "When is it?"

I hop off the counter and bend down to kiss Brooke. It was true that the petting zoo was coming to Point Place – I had seen a flyer at the police station earlier this week. But I needed to do something about that apartment.

"Um…Fez told me about it so I'll have to go ask him," I say cagily.

"Oh, okay. Want to take Betsy with you?" she points to the office in the back.

I get Betsy all ready to go and then bring her to say bye bye to Mommy.

"I love you Brooke," I say to her, ever serious.

Brooke looks up at me and nods. "I love you too, Michael."

As I leave with Betsy, I feel my heart soar. Everything was working out perfectly. Things don't always happen like you mean for them, but that doesn't mean they won't work out for the best. And my life with Brooke and Betsy was turning out to be better than I had ever imagined.

But first I had to go talk to Fez.

o-o-o

Fifteen minutes later I find Fez and Laurie in the Forman basement watching weirdly, _The Partridge Family_. I find this odd until I notice that Fez's hair is tousled and one of the buttons on Laurie's shirt is unbuttoned. So, they hadn't actually been _watching_ the TV.

Politely trying to ignore the obvious fact that I had just walked in on something, I stand by the basement door and grip the handle tight. "Hey, uh. Fez, I've got something to tell you."

Fez smoothes his hair down with one hand, far from ashamed. "Yes?"

I start without thinking. "Well, the thing is – " I abruptly stop. "Actually, can I talk to you outside for a sec?" I realize that maybe he hadn't told Laurie about the apartment yet.

Fez exchanges a look with his girlfriend, who shrugs nonchalantly. Then he rises and follows me out the door. He joins me at the two seats on the patio. In the kitchen I see Mrs. Forman holding Betsy as she whisks around the kitchen. When I got here, I had told her about Brooke and I moving in together and she'd been so happy for me. She assured me that Fez would understand too, and offered to take care of Betsy for a few minutes while I went and talked to him.

"So, listen Fez. You know how much I wanna live in that apartment with you and Betsy, right?"

Fez, who had proceeded to pull a Green Apple Jolly Rancher out of his pocket and pop it in his mouth while I spoke just nods.

"Good, I'm glad you understand. Because the thing is…I can't move in with you." I feel my face twist into a grimace as I force the words through my mouth.

I don't think Fez knows how to respond, because he just sits there, moving the Jolly Rancher around in his mouth. After a few moments he manages one word: "Why?"

I watch Fez closely. He has schooled his face into neutrality, so I have no idea how he actually feels about this.

"Well, because Brooke asked me to move in with her and Betsy," I explain. And then I start to mumble. "And, Fez, I'm really trying to make things work with Brooke this time, and by living with her I wouldn't have to split my time with Betsy with her and I just…I feel like this is the right thing to do."

"Brooke asked you to live with her?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's great Kelso!" Fez leans forward in his seat and claps me once on the back.

"Wait, so you're not mad?" I ask, very confused.

Fez shakes his head. "No. Don't get me wrong, I was mad at first. But the only excuse you could have given me for backing out on the _very same day_ that we got our apartment would be if Brooke asked you to live with her."

I think I sense a little hostility in his words, but Fez is smiling and I chose to believe what Mrs. Forman said about Fez understanding and being happy for me.

"Look, man. I'll even go talk to Fenton myself and see if he can release us from the contract. I'll even take Red," I tell Fez.

Fez and I had spent all morning trying to get Fenton to lease us the apartment, to no avail. That is, until Red came along – dead set on not letting anyone else move into his house – and said something to Fenton that had him eagerly handing us the paperwork.

Fez stands, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "No, that's okay. I have an idea, actually."

"You do?" I am curious. "What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you." Fez grins at me. "Now good day."

I say the words, knowing full well what will come of it. But I do it to make Fez happy. "But Fez – "

"I said good day!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~FEZ~

I had only been dating Laurie for about a month now, but it was long enough to know that she was a fiery force to be reckoned with and you'd get nowhere by tiptoeing around a sensitive issue.

So when I make my way back down the basement, I give no introduction when I ask Laurie to move in with me. Then I stand there silently, feeling sweat start to bead on my forehead as she looks at me and carefully contemplates her response before speaking.

"You don't think it's too soon for us to be moving in together?"

Her response is clever and smart. She has given me no indication of what she actually considers to be 'too soon', instead forcing me to answer that question.

"Um…" I panic. Then I realize, this might be a test. A test to see if _I'm_ ready for this before she agrees to anything. I clear my voice and give her a confident answer. "No, it is not too soon. We are both adults, and I plan on being with you for a long long time, so what's the point it waiting?"

Laurie nods her head thoughtfully and then reaches her hand out to grab my arm and pull me down on the couch next to her. She's looking at me with an expression that I can't identify.

"You know Fez," she says. "All the guys I've moved in with before either were married or already had girlfriends. Does that bother you?"

Perhaps another test?

"No," I answer truthfully. After all, that was the past, and I already knew that what Laurie and I had was different. "Why?"

"You see Fez, I never planned on staying very long with any of them. I knew eventually they would go back to their wives or girlfriends, and that provided me with the escape I needed."

I may boast about starting to understand Laurie, but in times like these I could still get very very lost.

She doesn't say anything, and is clearly waiting for my response. I'm not sure what to say, so I ask another question. "Um, um…why are you telling me this?"

She nods. Right question. "Because Fez, you don't have a wife or another girlfriend. So by moving in with you, I don't have an easy way out." Laurie pauses, a silent stretch that seems to last ages. "So I must really like you."

"Hold on," I say. "Does that mean you'll move in with me?"

Laurie flips her hair. "Yeah, what the hell?"

She says it in that signature Laurie-way of saying things like they're no big deal, but the smile that beams across her face and brightens her eyes…that's a look I've only ever seen a few times. And each time it has been with me.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The next chapter, "Gimme Shelter" will be posted on the day the episode it is based on aired: **March 30th**.


	11. Gimme Shelter

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the small delay in posting this. I've been having some computer issues, but it is all resolved now. Without further ado, here is **THE LAST CHAPTER**! I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

The heat is sweltering, especially under the heavy black graduation gown, and the sun beats down right in my face. My feet were starting to ache in these heels, and I groan internally when the principal calls out my _entire_ name, once more cursing my parents for giving me the middle name Beulah.

It isn't until I take my diploma on stage and turn my face to the crowd that I feel true joy. The first thing I notice is Steven's aviator sunglasses glinting the sunlight back at me. Next to him are the rest of my friends, Eric's parents and Mr. Pinciotti all clapping and cheering my name. I turn my tassel and tip my cap in their direction.

And then it's over. Four years of hard work and heartbreak, growing up and growing stronger. I'd graduated high school.

o-o-o

I shove open the door to the basement and practically collapse into Steven's chair. "I'm so glad I graduated high school," I announce to my friends. "You know, it's such a relief to finally know everything."

I say this last part jokingly, but the truth was too intimate to share. Because, the truth really was that I was glad to be done with high school. Sure, I had gained a lot in these last four years. I had met the love of my life, and I smile as I think back to the early days when he begrudgingly took me to his junior prom. And I had a group of friends who, rambunctious as they were, chose me for me. But I also had lost a lot these last four years. And I knew I would carry with me all that I had gained and could leave behind all I had lost with high school.

Eric speaks then, breaking me from my thoughts. "I can't believe I graduated a year ago," he says. He plants himself on the sofa. "It's like, I feel like I've done nothing. Man, time really flies when you take two naps a day. I'm surprised I even got back into UW."

I sit up straight. "Wait, Eric. You did? So are you and Donna moving to Madison?"

Donna nods excitedly. "He did. We're finally getting to go to college together." She leans into her boyfriend and gives him a soft peck on the lips.

"Wow," I say out loud.

"Yeah," Steven says echoing my thoughts. He taps my shoulder and I stand up, letting him sit, then joining him on his lap. "We're all growing up. I'm running a record store, Donna's a DJ and a college student, Kelso's a cop, and Fez is moving in with Laurie."

Fez, who had been busy pilfering through a bag of assorted candy sticks, his head up. "Actually, I have some news too. So, Laurie has been doing her interning at a salon here in Point Place, and she got me a job there. It's just shampooing hair, but…its going to help me pay for the classes I'm taking in political science at the junior college."

"Political science, Fez?" Donna asks curiously.

Fez's eyes dart around the room nervously. "Yes," he says slowly. "My parents sent me to America because they wanted me to study government and bring that knowledge back home."

"But do you even like it, Fez?" Michael asks him.

Fez shrugs. "I don't know. There were no classes on candy or beer, so I thought I'd at least give it a try, especially if it can help my folks back at home. I just hope my parents don't think that means I'm going to go back to my homeland. I plan to stay here in America with my friends and my girl."

Michael gives him a playful slap on the arm. "All right, buddy." Then Michael gets really excited. "Hey, maybe you can become the President."

Fez interrupts him. "Actually Kelso, I can't, because I wasn't – "

"Nonsense," Michael dismisses him. "Hey, and when you do, will you declare Michael Kelso Day as a national holiday? Yeah, that way I never have to go to work on my birthday." He pauses. "Ooh, nobody will have to work, and that way I can throw the world's biggest birthday party. Yeah, that'll make it into Guinness for sure."

We must all be staring at Michael like he's crazy because he shrugs then points his finger at all of us. "Brooke's in Chicago picking up the rest of her stuff from her mother's house, so my only company at home is a baby."

Eric clears his throat. "So?"

"So," Michael scoffs. "When your only company is a baby who only knows how to eat, poop, and cry, _then_ you can look at me like I'm losing my mind."

"Oh, but Kelso, we're not looking at you that way," Steven says, and I immediately know where this is going.

Michael doesn't though. "You're not?" he asks.

"No, Kelso. You'd have to have a mind to lose it." I can feel Steven chuckling behind me.

For a second Michael looks infuriated. But then a goofy grin breaks across his face. "Huh, that _is_ a good burn."

And just like that, summer vacation had officially started.

o-o-o

Steven and I waste no time in 'officially' moving into our new apartment, as the very same day as my graduation, I go to my parents' house – which I have started calling it, as home was now my apartment with Steven – and grab my last few boxes to bring to the apartment. And when Steven and I crawl into bed that night, I am content in the fact that there was no other place I needed or wanted to be. Tomorrow I could wake up and I wouldn't have to go to school, or back to my parents' house to pack things, I could just stay _home_.

But…there was one thing I wanted to do.

"Hey, Steven," I murmur into his ear. I scoot myself closer to him and throw my arm around his waist.

"Hmm?" he mumbles. He must already be half asleep.

"Do you mind if I throw a graduation party here in the apartment?"

Steven stirs, and I can tell he's starting to wake back up. "Yeah, go for it."

I practically sit up. "Really?"

Now he is awake. "Yeah, Jackie. We celebrated our graduation, it's only fair that you'd get to celebrate yours."

I squeeze his hand. "Yeah, but you don't mind if I celebrate in our apartment?" I clarify.

Steven turns on his side to face me. "Well, I don't see you going camping again like we did for our graduation. And to be honest, I don't really want to re-live that either."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Steven." I leap on top of him and throw my arms around his neck. I feel his arms reach around the small of my back. I could stay like this for all eternity, but I feel there is something important I need to make clear, so I pull way.

"You know Steven," I say, thinking about that camping trip. "I was never actually going to choose Michael."

In the dark I can see Steven minutely nod his head. "I know. Just like I was never actually going out with that other chick."

I think about that for a minute. A part of me always kind of knew that he wasn't actually dating that girl who walked in the basement the day that I told Steven that I chosen him. I suppose it was the same way he knew that I was never going to go back to Michael. The absurdity of the situation hits me and I start to giggle softly.

"What?" Steven groans.

"Nothing," I say between fits of laughter. "I just…we really are meant to be, ya know?"

He mumbles something indecipherable under his breath, but I can just make out a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Then he gently starts pushing on my shoulder. "Just turn around, would you?" he says.

I do as he says, and immediately feel his arm wrap around my waist. I grab his hand in mine, and feel his breath softly on the back of my neck. And just like that, I drift into sleep.

o-o-o

Steven is gone when I wake up in the morning, having to go to the record store early this morning to open. He had been doing a lot of that these days, especially since Angie had moved to Milwaukee. I smile to myself, remembering the day that Steven and I had found out that Angie had gotten promoted. Neither of us had been too happy, especially since Steven was the one who had saved Angie's butt when it came to the store on several occasions.

I had been quietly listening to music in The Pit that day, just hanging out with Steven at work, when suddenly Angie rushed into the store. "Oh my God, you guys. I just got a promotion." I'd pulled off my headphones. "Daddy says I've been doing such a great job that he wants me to move to Milwaukee and work as the statistical manager at the corporate office."

I immediately jumped to Steven's defense. "What about Steven?" I asked her. "He's the one doing a great job!"

Steven had shown up behind me, and when he spoke I could hear the shock and hurt in his voice. "How'd you get a promotion?" he asked. "You don't know anything about music. Last week a guy came in asking for KISS," Steven told me, "and Angie called him a pervert and slapped him in the face."

I turned back to Angie and asked her again. "Well, did your dad say anything about Steven?"

Angie shrugged. "I don't know. I just heard the word "promotion", and I got a little dizzy and sort of blacked out. It was awesome."

I watched then as Angie skipped across the store, a knot forming in my stomach. I had half a mind to go find W.B. and call him out myself.

"Well, here's the America I know," Steven said bitterly. "The person who can't do anything rides to the top, while the guy who's working his ass off gets nothing."

I reached out and grabbed Steven's arm. "Well, let's just sort this out. We'll go to W.B.'s office and give him a chance to explain."

Steven had agreed, and that afternoon when he got off from work I joined him on his way to Milwaukee to talk to W.B. We found him in his office playing, oddly enough, golf.

"W.B., what are you doing?" Steven asked, working to conceal his fury.

I clarified. "Why did you promote Angie and not Steven?"

"Ah, that." W.B. sighed. "I realize how this looks, which is why I was hoping to get to you before Angie did. The truth is, I'm moving Angie to Milwaukee to get her away from the customers. I love my little girl, but Steven, you're the one who should be running that store."

And just like that, Steven was promoted to store manager. (1)

o-o-o

I find Steven in the basement later that afternoon once he has got off from work. With him is Michael and Fez, which is perfect so I can invite them to the party. First I walk over to Steven and give him a quick kiss, then I sit down on his knee, facing Michael and Fez who are sitting on the couch.

"Hey, you guys. I'm having a graduation dinner party tomorrow night. Be there by six o'clock for the champagne toast."

Michael immediately snaps his head up from the TV. "Free champagne? I'm in!"

Fez looks giddy too. "Free toast? I am in too."

"Well, Fez, its not actually _toast_. You see, its…" I stop myself. Steven and I had a toaster after all. "Actually, yeah. There will be toast."

Steven grabs my arm. "A dinner party? You're not cooking are you?"

I turn and make a face at him. "No, I'm not cooking."

"Am I cooking?" he asks then.

I roll my eyes. "No. I hired a caterer."

"Jackie, since when can we afford a caterer?" Steven gives me a look.

"Okay, so its not a caterer so much as my maid from my parents' house. Technically my parents are still paying her. Plus, she's a really great cook and she said she'd be happy to help out."

Steven nods in understanding. "Well, if you need any help, just let me know."

"No!" I stand up. "Um, I just mean…I've got this. You just show up when the party starts at six with everyone else."

"But Jackie, I live there."

"Mmhmm," I mutter. I stand up and purse my lips. "But it's my party." When Steven doesn't waver, I pull out the lip pout. "Pwease?"

Steven gives me a look that says he sees right through this little scheme. But at last he just shrugs. "Okay. I'll be there at six."

Phew. That was close.

o-o-o

Apparently, I couldn't keep a secret from Steven. For the rest of the day I worried that he might've thought I was mad from him, and when we got home that evening, I ended up spilling the beans and telling him the truth: I had decided to change my graduation party into a party to celebrate all our friends, including him, which is why I had been so secretive earlier.

We were just in the doorway when I said this to him, and I watch as he silently shuts the door behind us. We had just gone grocery shopping – we had to if we wanted to have anything to eat for dinner tonight. I follow Steven into the kitchen carrying several bags of groceries.

"You hate the idea, don't you?" I say after a few minutes of putting food away when Steven still has said nothing.

Steven pulls out a pan and starts greasing it for the chicken we bought for tonight. He shakes his head.

"Jackie. Relax, man. I don't hate the idea." He looks up at me. "I do think its somewhat unlike you, though."

"Excuse me?" I put my hand on my hip.

"Jackie, I'm joking." He smiles. "No, I'm just trying to figure out why you told me if it was supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh," I realize. I walk over to stand next to him at the stove. I rest my hand against his chest and scoot as close to him as a I can without getting in the way of his cooking. "I told you because I knew you were confused about my outburst earlier in the basement and didn't want you to think I was mad at you or hiding something from you."

"Well, I appreciate that," Steven says softly. "But, just so you know, I _did_ trust you."

"Thank you," I say. I quickly give him a peck on the cheek, then step out of the way so he can cook. "Well, then I have a job for you."

"Which is?" he asks.

I laugh. "Making sure I don't tell anyone else about the surprise."

And that is why I brought Steven with me to the Forman's the next day to invite Eric and Donna, and remind Fez and Michael about the party.

We walk in through the sliding door to the kitchen, where we find Kelso and Fez eating lunch together.

"Oh, so everything is set for the party tonight," I tell them, clapping my hands together excitedly.

Fez turns to me, a shocked expression on his face. "Oh, Jackie. I don't think I'm going to be able to make it. Laurie has a big test today and I promised to take her out to dinner tonight."

"What?" I take a step back, the disappointment hitting me. Behind me, Steven reaches out and places his arm on my shoulder.

Michael looks up giving me a weird look as well. "Yeah, me neither. Brooke still isn't back from her mom's house yet, so I need to take care of Betsy."

"But, you guys…" my voice fades. Fortunately, before I can say anything else, Steven clears his throat and steps forward.

"You guys, it's a _dinner_ party. Fez, you can take Laurie out to dinner…at Jackie's party." Steven then focuses his attention on Michael. "And Kelso, it's a _dinner_ party. Not a kegger. You can bring Betsy to our apartment."

Fez and Michael look uncertain. So Steven takes another step to the table, clenching his fists. The threat is clear. "You'll both be at my girlfriend's graduation party, you hear?"

"Uh-huh."

"Loud and clear."

Then it was off to find Eric and Donna.

Steven and I head down to the basement, certain that at least one of them might be down there. And it is just our luck when we find them both. The TV is on, but they are both sitting on the couch, hunched over something on the table.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Steven asks as he heads for the deep freeze.

Eric looks up, and I see that what he and Donna are peering at is a pile of paper work. He twirls the pen he is holding between his fingers.

"Oh, uh…we're just filling out some paperwork for UW in the fall. Tuition deposits and stuff," says Eric.

Donna taps Eric's arm and points to something on one of the papers. "Look Eric. There isn't just tuition, there are tuition fees." She scoffs. "So basically, we have to pay money in order to pay money."

"So, you guys," I interrupt them. They both look up at me. "I'm throwing a graduation dinner party tonight at six at our apartment. You're invited!"

Donna smiles but Eric shakes his head. "I don't know Jackie. We've got to fill out all this paperwork and then head out to Madison to drop it off. I don't think we can make it."

While Eric is speaking, I watch Donna's smile fall, then turn into a frown. "Excuse me?" she says to him. He looks at her. "We

Ll get this done in plenty of time. And anyways, the admissions office will probably be closed before six."

"But…" Eric starts.

Donna interrupts him. "No 'buts'. Jackie came camping with us, so we're going to go to her party. It's what friends do."

"But – "

Donna shifts her attention to me. "We'll be there."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~FEZ~

"All right my darling," I say as I pull into a parking spot. "We are here."

Laurie and I both stare at the building in front of us, the _Kenosha Cosmetology Education Center_ , which Laurie had explained to me was just a fancy way of saying 'beauty school classroom'. It's a small building situated in strip mall, not far from the disco where me and my friends used to frequent a few years back. But today it looks intimidating and uninviting, since today was the day of Laurie's exam.

This exam was a big deal too. It would determine if she would be cut from the program, or if she would be allowed to move on and continue with the final lessons and get to keep her job working at the local salon.

"I'm nervous," Laurie blurts.

"That's understandable," I say gently. "But you know the material. Just do your best."

Laurie nods as though this is helping her. "Right. Thanks, Fez." She reaches across the front seat, places her hand on my cheek and kisses me. "For luck," she winks as she opens her door.

"I'll be right here waiting for you when you're done!" I say.

Laurie had been so worked up about her test these last few days that I had offered to drive her to her exam. That way she had one less thing to worry about and then she could relax on the way home. She had agreed with a brilliant smile.

Now, for the next two hours I was going to use that time to brush up on my government and political science knowledge before my classes began. I still had a few months, but I figured the sooner the better.

In the strip next to Laurie's beauty school is a laundromat, candy store, antique store, and a coffee shop. I decide I'll get myself situated in a quiet corner of the coffee shop for the next few hours so I can study. As I am walking there I can't help but think about how Laurie and I were both getting to work for the American dream that my family had sent me here for.

But before I could start working toward it, there was one last thing I had to do: visit the candy shop.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~MICHAEL KELSO~

I pull my hands away from my face to see a surprised, joyous expression cross Betsy's features. "Peek-a-boo!" I exclaim and Betsy bursts into a fit of giggles. Then I blow a raspberry through her onesie on her belly and she giggles even more, her face flushing pink.

There was no way life got better than this. I have a beautiful healthy daughter who I love with all my heart, and who I knew loved me too. In her own baby way, of course. With Brooke gone these last few days, I have been able to really establish my own relationship with Betsy, separate from the one I shared with Brooke. And I've learned so much. Like how her favorite song was "You are My Sunshine" and how she could grip your finger and practically squeeze it off when she was hungry.

Right now we are playing her favorite game, peek-a-boo, on the couch in Brooke's, I mean _our_ – I had to keep reminding myself – apartment. After only a few minutes I have Betsy giggling so loudly, I almost miss it when the phone rings.

There's a phone on the side table next to the couch, and I pick it up without taking my eyes off of Betsy. She was at the age where she could almost walk, which meant she could sit up, roll over, crawl – everything but walk, and I didn't want her to throw herself off the couch.

"Hello?" I say.

"Hi Michael," comes Brooke's cheery response. "How is everything?"

"Great," I say. I can feel myself smile, so strongly it might even challenge Betsy's post-giggle grin. "Tonight Betsy's going to her first slumber party!"

"Um, Michael – "

"Well, technically its just Jackie's dinner party, but Betsy is gonna bring her jammies and her bedtime blanket. My goal is to transport her home without waking her up. Think I can do it?"

Brooke laughs and I can hear the smile in her voice. "Well, while I have total faith in your capabilities Michael, I think you might be facing a tough enemy on this one."

I reach out and tickle the bottom of one of Betsy's feet. "Yeah, we got lucky with her, didn't we?"

"We certainly did." Brooke pauses. "Well, I was just calling to let you know that I'm all packed and will be leaving tomorrow morning. I'll be home about noon. Do you want to do a lunch date with Betsy at the park down the street?"

"That'll be perfect!" I say. "Now Betsy, say 'see you soon Mommy'." Then I repeat in a higher voice, "see you soon Mommy!"

"Aw, Betsy. Mommy misses you!" Brooke says. "I miss you too, Michael. I can't wait to get home to you guys. Love you."

"Love you too, Brooke. I'll see you tomorrow."

When we hang up, I look over at our daughter. I reach into my pocket. "Well, Betsy. I think tomorrow will be the perfect opportunity to give this to Mommy, what do you think?"

Betsy reaches her chubby fingers out to the object I just pulled out of my pocket. She curiously pokes at it with her index finger.

I notice that the diamond on the ring is the same size as Betsy's fingernail.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~DONNA PINCIOTTI~

"You ready?" Eric says, turning to me.

I focus my attention on the sign adorned above the entrance to the sandy brick building. It reads _Admissions Office_.

"Yeah," I try to say convincingly. I glance over at Eric and take his hand. "Let's do this."

I wasn't nervous, exactly. But I was just so happy to finally be registering for classes in college that a part of me feared this was all just a dream, despite the fact that we were currently on the campus of the University of Wisoconsin-Madison.

It was a nice campus too. Eric and I both fawned over the lawn patches with the "U" and "W" scribed in them. We even were eager to visit the dorm rooms which we ultimately decided to try, at least for the first year of college. After all the chaos and troubles of the last few years, Eric and I decided not to press our luck by changing too much at once. We agreed we'd spend the first year in the dorms so that we could adjust to college life before we found an apartment together. Especially since that would be an adjustment too – living on our own together. Both our parents had liked the idea, and my dad even agreed to let us stay in the same residence hall. We wouldn't be far from each other either. We had already gotten our room assignments, and my dorm room was only one floor above Eric's.

The inside of the Admissions Office is cool and quiet and we make our way over to what appears to be the only office worker. She is so pale it's as though she lives in this building, never seeing the sunlight, and her perfume is overpowering. When we introduce ourselves, she hands us tuition paper work and tells us to bring it to the Bursar's office once we've filled it out.

We do as we're told, then trek over to the Bursar's. They then direct us to the Registrar's Office.

"Wow, I had no idea there were so many different offices," Eric says as we walk across the mostly empty campus. It's a nice day and we take our time.

"I know!" I exclaim. "But it's kind of exciting, don't you think?"

"You know, it really is," Eric says in that voice that says he just realized something big.

When we get to the Registrar's Office, we finally get to do the exciting stuff we came here for: pick classes. The lady working here is much friendlier, and she hands us each degree plans for our majors and a list of available courses in the fall. She instructs us to design our schedules and then return them to her, which she will then input into the system.

I register for some beginner journalism courses for the journalism major. I have to take some electives too, and these are the classes I register for with Eric. I agree to take "The Effects of Jedi Culture in Modern Fiction, Music, and Film" with him, but only because he agreed to take "Female Figures in American History" with me. When we are done, we bring the paperwork back to the office worker.

"All right, I'll put these schedules in the system right away, and in a couple of weeks you'll both receive a copy of your fall schedules in the mail," she says, smiling widely.

"Thank you," Eric and I say in unison.

We begin to walk away, but the woman calls out after us. We turn back to her. She is still smiling.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. Welcome to UW!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~STEVEN HYDE~

It was a slow day at Grooves, but fortunately, I was out of here in ten minutes. Tonight, the assistant manager, who W.B. had let me hire as part of my job as the store manager, was closing.

I look out the window of my office to the sales floor. Aside from the two people sitting in The Pit, shuffling through records, and the bored-looking cashier, the store was empty. It was a hot day in late June, and this was one of those days that people spent at the pool, not a record store.

Just as I am coming out of the office, Alex, the assistant manager walks through the door, the chiming bell the only sound in the store. He nods at me quickly, then heads back into the office. Alex was a cool guy. I'd hired him from within the company – meant less training I'd have to give 'em – but I'd worked with him in the corporate office when W.B. had first hired me. Like me, he had gotten involved in the business because of his love of music, not his love of desk jobs and paperwork. I could tell he, like me, was much happier to now be working with the real music.

But for now, I get out while I can. It may be slow today, but next week we were set to re-do our Tom Jones record signing. That would be a chaotic day for sure, but right now I take solace in the fact that I could leave at a decent hour and get to spend time at home with Jackie.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

Everything was going according to plan. My small dinner party with just my friends was quite a success and everyone was on time for the champagne toast. I'd spent all afternoon while Steven was at work shopping and decorating for the party. I had bought myself a gorgeous new purple sundress for the occasion, and the decorations I had placed really brought the apartment to life. I was considering leaving them up, but figured Steven would have a lot to say about that.

Michael and Betsy arrive first, and I show him where he can set up her playpen in a quiet corner where he can always keep an eye on her. Steven gets home from work then, kisses me, and then goes to shower and clean up before the party. Eric and Donna show up next, wearing matching UW sweatshirts. Lastly, Fez shows up with Laurie. Laurie is beaming, and I can't help but wonder if that means she passed her test.

When we all settle around the dinner table with our glasses of champagne, I finally stand up and speak. I hold out my glass.

"I want to thank you all for showing up here to support me in my graduation from high school. But, the truth is, that's not what this party is about." I clear my throat. "This is actually a party to celebrate all of us. Me for graduating high school and starting college in the fall, like Donna and Eric. Steven, for getting promoted to store manager. Fez for taking classes at the junior college, and Laurie for hopefully passing her test. Michael, for finally becoming a cop."

Steven smiles ruefully. "Man, I can't believe you're not a cadet anymore. You're an actual police officer. I never woulda thought."

"And there's more, but I can't tell you yet," Michael says, goofily.

Fez clears his throat. "And actually, Laurie already knows her test score."

Laurie beams. "I passed!"

I am genuinely happy for her.

"So, so this party…it's for all of us?" Donna asks. She moves her hand in a circle as though encompassing the whole group.

"Uh-huh," I nod eagerly. "I figured I wasn't the only one with something to celebrate tonight, so why not make it for all of us?"

Eric laughs as if this is a joke. "All right. Who are you and what've you done with Jackie?"

I stick my tongue out at him, too happy to care. "Would you just stand up for the toast?"

In unison, all my friends rise with their glasses of champagne. "We did it," I say. "We grew up and we did it together. To us!"

I look around the room and take in my friends and their bright, smiling faces. The chiming of glasses and laughter echoes in my mind. An echo of my own sentiment when they all cheer back.

"To us!"

* * *

Footnotes:

1 - Since I do not explore any more episodes of the show, I chose to include this scene from "2000 Light Years from Home" in this chapter. I already delved into a little in an earlier chapter when Kelso and Angie break up, but really really wanted to include this scene because I just love the way that Jackie sticks up for Hyde and without trying, it really shows how much she loves him. Fun fact: "2000 Light Years from Home" is the last episode of the series that I watch (aside from the one time I watched "Take It or Leave It") because of this reason: for me the show ends with seeing Jackie and Hyde in a happy and healthy relationship.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Surprise! It's not quite over yet. Keep your eyes peeled for an epilogue, COMING SOON!


	12. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Here is the epilogue! I debated about when to post it and ultimately thought this was the best time. Even though it is being posted months after I posted the last chapter, I decided to wait because the epilogue also takes place in the story's setting months after the last chapter ends. I thought that it would help the readers to have a deeper understanding of the passage of time. I chose today specifically, because the epilogue has a lot to do with Thanksgiving (spoiler alert!), which is this tomorrow. So Happy Thanksgiving (to those who celebrate) and please enjoy this epilogue!

* * *

~KITTY FORMAN~

I stare down blankly at the two lonely pork chops in the frying pan in front of me. Even more depressing was that the sizzling of the cooking meat was the only sound inside my giant and noticeably empty house.

I hear Red – and I know its him because he's the only one around – come into the kitchen from the sliding back door. He comes and stands next to me. "Why are we staring so intently at our dinner?"

I pull my gaze from the frying pan and look up at Red. I wave my hand dismissively at the food. "Look at that. It's so pathetic. Two pork chops. Two!"

"Yeah." Red nods, oblivious. "One for me, one for you."

"Exactly!"

Red clears his throat and rocks back on his feet. "Okay, I' sorry Kitty, but I just don't see the problem."

"The problem is," I start. I pause as I flip the two pork chops over and then look back up at my husband. "That I have no kids to cook for anymore. I can't remember the last time I cooked only two pork chops. All the kids loved my pork chops!"

"Oh."

"Red, I miss the kids," I say bluntly.

"Well, I know Kitty, but they're all starting school this week or are busy with work," Red says, trying his best to be reassuring.

I slump, feeling defeated. I knew Red was right, and that's what bothered me the most. I knew the kids were busy and had their own lives, but for some reason I thought I would still be cooking them dinner every night. I knew that didn't make any sense, but it still made me sad. Taking care of those kids gave me a lot of purpose…and them all growing up together and all at once? That was proving to be a tough transition for me.

"Kitty," Red says softly, noticing my sadness. He pulls me over to the kitchen table and sits next to me. "I know that this has been really hard on you. But the kids aren't gone forever. They're always going to come back."

"You think?" I ask, daring to be hopeful.

Red laughs outright. "Absolutely, Kitty. I've been spending the last fifteen years trying to kick them out with no success. Take Thanksgiving, for instance. I always told them to go home to their families, but they always insisted on eating our food."

"Thanksgiving…" I repeat. Suddenly, something dawns on me. "I forgot all about Thanksgiving!"

I jump out of my chair, clapping excitedly. Red of course, looks less than enthused, but a glint in his eyes tells me that he's happy to have cheered me up.

"I better start planning now!" I rush to the notepad by the phone, barely sparing a glance in the direction of the long forgotten pork chops.

"Planning now?" Red rises. "It's only the beginning of September."

"I know!" I say, excited to have renewed purpose. "That only gives me less than three months to plan the perfect Thanksgiving dinner to bring our family back together again."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

~JACKIE BURKHART~

"Happy Thanksgiving!" I say cheerfully to Mrs. Forman as Steven and I sneak up on her in the kitchen.

Mrs. Forman whirls around, wipes the flour on her hands onto her apron, and claps excitedly. "Jackie! Steven! You're here!"

We both give her a hug and a kiss, and Steven hands her the bottle of wine we had picked up for her on our way here. She insisted that she do all the cooking and baking for today, but Steven and I felt weird showing up empty handed.

Mrs. Forman graciously accepts the bottle and I take a quick opportunity to glance around the kitchen. It looked like an organized bomb had gone off in here. Every inch of counter space was covered with food and kitchen tools, but there was a very detailed and precise nature to it, and I just knew Mrs. Forman was loving it. She always put on a big production for Thanksgiving, but I couldn't ever remember her doing anything this grand. It made sense though; after all, this was the first dinner that our family and friends were all spending together since school started.

"Need any help in here?" Steven offers.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Forman says, grinning from ear to ear. "Everyone is down in the basement waiting for you two."

And with that, we were dismissed to the basement. As Steven and I descended the stairs, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. We'd been back to the Forman's house a couple of times for dinner since moving into our apartment, but this was the first time we'd been back down in the basement. I half expected Red to have dumped all our childish stuff and Kitty to have remodeled everything with new furniture. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not a single thing had been changed, which made me feel oddly nostalgic, but as I sat on Steven's lap on his chair, it also felt right. It felt like home.

"Hey, guys," Eric says by way of greeting.

He was sitting closest to us on the couch. Next to him was Donna, then Brooke, and the two of them were giggling with Betsy. Kelso was in the lawn chair and was playing cards with Fez who sat on the stool. Laurie was searching for something in the deep freeze. Just like old times.

"Hey, man," Steven returned. "How's school?"

Eric grew serious. "Oh Hyde, it's great. I tell ya, I'm learning so much in my Jedi class."

"Okay, but have you decided what you want to do yet?" I butt in. I'm not trying to sound rude, but I knew that with Donna around him, she wasn't just letting him slack off.

"Not yet," Eric says. "But my advisor got me into this class next semester called 'Discovering Professions' that gives you background and real life experience in all different job areas, so I'm looking forward to that."

I nod, surprised by how earnest Eric sounds. I glance over at Donna and find her beaming as she watches Eric. A few years ago this would've made me gag, but now I can't help but get swept up in the emotional euphoria. Even little Betsy is smiling wide and when she goes to clutch her mother's hand, I notice something.

I don't know what surprises me more; the fact that Brooke is wearing an engagement ring or that it took me this long to notice said engagement ring. Nevertheless, the moment that I notice it, I am squealing as I hurry over to Brooke's side.

"Excuse me, but when were you going to mention this?" I take Brooke's hand.

She gives me a sheepish grin. "Donna said I should wait and see how long it would take you to notice."

I admire her ring. It was small and dainty but is sparkled brilliantly in the dim basement light. Without letting go of her hand, I grill her for details. Apparently, Michael proposed just this past weekend, but he'd had the ring for quite a while and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity. They planned to have the wedding early this summer, and my god-daughter was going to be the flower girl. Brooke was grinning from ear to ear as she explained all this, and when I glance over at Michael, his smile mirrors Brooke's.

"Hey, Kelso. Do my parents know yet?" Eric asks. He shakes his head and then Eric lets out a sarcastic chuckle. "Word of advice? Don't try to tell them over Thanksgiving dinner. I know from personal experience that it might take a turn for the worse."

We all laugh at the memory of Eric's feeble attempt at a declaration of love to Donna a few years ago, and how it rapidly spun out of control when Red found out Eric had forged his name. Well, we all laugh except for Brooke.

"What's going on?" She says it lightly, but there's a hint of nervousness in her voice. Michael butts in, eager to tell the story. Finally, Brooke nods. "Um…anything else I should know before we go eat?"

I'd almost forgotten. This was Brooke's first Thanksgiving with the Forman family. "Nothing that out of the ordinary." I jump in, trying to reassure Brooke. "Just stuff like..." I shrug, thinking. "Red always cut's the turkey and Bob always cuts the pie."

"Yeah, and no matter what, Bob always cuts himself the biggest slice," Fez pipes in. He scowls. "No matter how much you offer him to drink."

"Oh, and when we have a lot of people over for Thanksgiving, my mom always sets up a 'kids' table.' That's where we'll be sitting," Eric adds.

"Except me!" Laurie says proudly. She glances over at Fez. "Sorry, Fez." He shrugs, not too bothered.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter that you're engaged or that you have a baby. You sit at the kids' table. Red's rules," Eric tells Brooke, reinforcing the significance.

Brooke doesn't seem to be bothered by the kids' table, but I notice Steven's knee start to bounce. I rest my hand over it. "What's wrong?" I murmur.

"Nothing," Steven says. "It's just…it doesn't really have to be a kids' table. We're not kids. We are all adults who have moved out and started our lives. It's just a table."

The basement is silent for a moment, and then Donna clears her throat. "I don't know, I kind of like the idea of sitting at the kids' table." She looks at Steven. "I mean, you're right Hyde, that we're not kids anymore. But being an adult can be really hard sometimes, so why not hold onto this one piece of our childhoods?" Donna is met with more silence.

After a moment, I come to Donna's defense. "Donna's right. Growing up is hard, especially now that we don't all get to see each other every day. I mean…" I pause, searching for the right words. "It's not like we can run down here to the basement anymore and forget the rest of the world like we used to."

"This is getting really depressing," Fez says morosely.

"It doesn't have to be," I interject. I take Steven's hand and squeeze it as I try and gather myself so that I can get my point across.

Surprisingly, it's Eric that speaks next, and he articulates what I'd been struggling to explain to my friends. "Let's promise ourselves that no matter how hard life gets and no matter where life takes us, we can all always come back here, to the basement and be kids again."

I lean back against Steven and take in everything around me. I look at each of my friends and realize how much we had all grown. Eric, once scrawny and unable to find his own voice, now spoke with assuredness and a confidence unique to himself. Next to him sat Donna, and while she'd always fiercely held her own for as long as I 'd known her, she could now accept her vulnerabilities and allow others into her life. When I catch Michael's eye, I flash him a proud smile. Despite our rocky, immature past, he had found it in him to be a dedicated father and soon-to-be husband to someone he truly loved. And although we still had no idea where Fez was from, he was living up to his potential by becoming an knowledgeable advocate for his folks back home, something I didn't think he realized he needed until he'd done it. And Steven, well. Steven was once an intimidating boy who'd I believed had no heart, and yet some part of me had always felt connected to him. So, it both did and didn't surprise me that I now held his heart, which I cannot not believe I once thought did not exist. As for me, all I know is that I am thankful for the day all those years ago that I chose to follow Michael down into this basement to meet all his friends. Because these people changed my life. I am so glad I could always call this place home.

Despite how much my friends and I had changed, not much of this home had, and for that I am grateful. Sure, the couch was basically being held together by duct tape at this point, and the handle on the door by the shower had been changed at least twice after all the times it had been slammed open and shut throughout the years. But our same Monopoly board sat on the shelves under the stairs, the same posters hung on the walls, and all our yearbooks were still stacked in the corner. So much of our past in one place, with many more memories here to be made. Together.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As always, thank you for reading!


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